GIFT   OF 
MICHAEL  REE^E 


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RUSSELL  SAGE 
FOUNDATION 


•AMONG  SCHOOL 
GARDENS • 


BY 


M.  LOUISE  GREENE,  M.Pd.,  Ph.D.  (Yalej 


NEW     YORK 
CHARITIHS    PUBLICATION 
C  O  M  M  I  T  T  K  H      .      .      .      .      M  C  M  X 


1 


jREESE 

cU 


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Copyright,  191  o,  by 
The  Russell  Sage  Foundation 


PRESS    OF    WM.    F.    FELL   CO. 
PHILADELPHIA 


FOREWORD 

"Among  School  Gardens"  is  intended,  (i)  To 
answer  the  questions:  What  are  school  gardens? 
What  purpose  do  they  serve?  Where  are  the 
best?  (2)  To  give  such  explicit  directions  that 
a  novice  may  be  able  to  start  a  school  garden; 
and  to  show  that  even  the  simplest  one  can  be 
of  great  benefit  to  children.  (3)  To  share  with 
those  already  interested  in  school  gardens  knowl- 
edge of  work  done  in  different  places. 

Until  a  few  years  ago  it  was  difficult  to  obtain 
the  right  sort  of  instruction  in  school  gardening 
unless  one  left  home  for  a  long  period.  Many 
are  unable  to  do  this.  General  information  and 
some  experience  in  cultivating  flowers  in  a  city 
yard  constituted  the  few  foundation  stones  upon 
which  I  decided  to  build  a  good  superstructure 
of  knowledge  applicable  to  all  phases  of  the  sub- 
ject. The  fact  that  I  had  to  collect  my  own  equip- 
ment may  enable  me  to  help  others  who  cannot 
obtain  the  proper  training  for  school  gardening. 
Some  instruction  from  Mr.  Herbert  D.  Hemenway, 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  movement,  consid- 
erable practice  at  the  greenhouse  bench,  in  the 
teacher's  class  and  in  charge  of  children  under 
Mr.  Stanley  H.  Rood,  Director  of  the  excellently 
equipped  School  of  Horticulture,  Hartford,  Conn., 
and  work  with  Mr.  Henry  G.  Parsons,  lecturer  on 

V 


205079 


FOREWORD 

the  subject  in  the  summer  school  of  New  York 
University,  constituted  the  chief  part  of  my 
preparation.  Visits  to  some  of  the  best  gardens 
in  our  own  country  and  Canada  were  also  made. 
Later,  at  the  suggestion  of  Miss  Mary  Marshall 
Butler,  of  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  the  Russell  Sage 
Foundation  asked  me  to  spend  a  summer  study- 
ing school  gardens  with  a  view  to  this  publication. 

I  have  endeavored  to  make  the  book  a  readable, 
reliable  statement  of  what  seems  fundamental 
in  school  gardening.  It  would  be  impossible  to 
mention  the  names  of  the  many  persons,  reaching 
into  the  hundreds,  who  have  helped  in  gathering 
data.  Almost  without  exception  all  who  were 
asked  gave  generously  of  their  interest,  knowledge, 
and  illustrative  material.  Some  of  the  latter  was 
unavailable.  What  has  been  used  shows  special 
phases  of  the  work  and  as  wide  a  range  as  possible 
of  school  garden  activities.  Frequently  busy 
men  and  women  gave  from  half  a  day  to  several 
days  of  their  time.  Without  such  assistance  this 
book  could  not  have  come  into  existence. 

The  writer  acknowledges  with  sincere  appre- 
ciation the  courtesies  received  from  the  following: 
Assistant  Secretary  Hays;  Professors  L.  C. 
Corbett  and  Dick  J.  Crosby,  of  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture;  Miss  Susan  B.  Sipe, 
Supervisor  of  Nature  Study  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  and  collaborator  in  the  Department  of 
Agriculture;  Miss  Louise  Klein  Miller,  Curator  of 
School  Gardens,  Cleveland,  Ohio;    Miss  Florence 

vi 


FOREWORD 

E.  Lillie,  of  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  Miss  Emilie 
Yunker,  Woman's  Outdoor  Art  League  of  Louis- 
ville, Ky . ;  Miss  Stella  Nathan,  Supervisor  of  School 
Gardens  for  the  Board  of  Education,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.;  Mr.  John  L.  Randall,  of  the  Pittsburgh  Play- 
ground Association;  Professor  Otis  W.  Caldwell,  of 
Chicago  University,  Chicago,  111.,  and  Professor 
Benjamin  Marshall  Davis,  of  Miami  University. 

This  list,  brief  as  it  is,  would  be  incomplete 
were  no  mention  made  of  indebtedness  to 
Doctor  James  W.  Robertson  and  the  staff  of 
Macdonald  College,  Ste.  Annede  Bellevue,  Quebec; 
to  Professor  S.  D.  McCready,  and  Mr.  E.  A. 
Howes,  of  Guelph,  Ontario. 

For  the  critical  'reading  of  the  chapter  on 
"Weeds"  I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Alexander 
W.  Evans,  of  Yale  University;  for  chapters  con- 
cerning soil,  planting,  etc.,  to  Mr.  R.  P.  Powell, 
Superintendent  of  City  Farming,  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.; 
and  for  reading  the  manuscript  as  a  whole,  to  Mr. 
Edward  Mahoney  and  Mr.  Stanley  H.  Rood. 

To  Messrs.  Doubleday,  Page  and  Company 
and  The  Macmillan  Company,  to  the  editors  of 
Suburban  Life,  the  National  Association  of  Audu- 
bon Societies  and  the  National  Cash  Register  Com- 
pany of  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  to  James  Vick's  Sons, 
Rochester,  New  York,  acknowledgment  is  made 
for  the  use  of  excerpts,  lists,  and  photographs. 

M.  Louise  Greene. 

New  Haven,  Ginnecticut, 
March,  U)io. 

vii 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Foreword v 

List  of  Illustrations xi 

CHAPTER  I 
The  Evolution  of  the  School  Garden  ...       3 

CHAPTER  11 
Different  Kinds  of  School  Gardens     ....     41 

CHAPTER  III 
Soil  Fertility 83 

CHAPTER   IV 
Cost  of  Equipment ill 

CHAPTER  V 
Planning  and  Planting  the  Garden  145 

CHAPTER  VI 
After  Planting,  What? 177 

CHAPTER  VII 
An  Interlude:  Some  Garden  Weeds  .203 

CHAPTER  Vm 
The  School  Garden  in  Vacation  and  in  Term  Time  .  221 

CHAPTER  IX 

Some  Last  Things 263 

ix 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 

APPENDICES 


PAGE 


A.  Notes 279 

B.  Testimony 321 

C.  How  to  Plant  a  Tree 336 

D.  Ten  Principles  of  Pruning 338 

E.  A  Hymn  for  Arbor  Day 339 

Bibliography 343 

Index 377 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PACE 

Fairview  Garden  School,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 

Frontispiece 

"Mine" 5 

Domestic   Science  or   Kitchen   Garden,   Oakland 

School,  Cleveland,  Ohio  opp.  page      7 

Macdonald     College,     Ste.     Anne    de     Bellevue. 

School  garden  on  the  "group  plan"  14 

Section  of  a  "Group"  Garden:  one  or  two  children 

on  each  vegetable  plot 15 

Guelph  School  Gardens,  July,  1909  ....      16 
Bowesville  School  Grounds,  Canada  '7 
Teachers'  Class  visiting  the  Merden  School  Gar- 
dens, Canada 19 

"Boys  should  be  Formed  not    Reformed."     Na- 
tional Cash  Register  Gardens  opp.  page     21 

Morgan  School,  Washington,  D.  C 22 

School  of  Horticulture,  Hartford,  Conn,  ...  26 
Boys'  Plots,  School  of  Horticulture  ....  27 
A  Teacher's  Garden,  School  of  Horticulture   .  27 

DeWitt  Clinton  Park  School  Garden,  New  York 

City 28 

Second   Planting,  Wainwright  Garden,   Philadel- 
phia       .•       opp.  page    29 

Corner  of  Ludlow  Schoolyard,  Washington,  D.  C.     31 
Second  Grade  children   making  Cuttings.     Nor- 
mal School,  Washington,  D.  C 33 

Macdonald    Consolidated    School    and    Gardens, 

Canada 35 

xi 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

A  Philadelphia  School  Garden   .        .        opp.  page     37 

Could  You  Do  Better? 42 

Housekeeping  Room,  DeWitt  Clinton  Park,  New 

York  City .48 

"Little  Brother  Helps" 50 

Vacant  Lot  in  Louisville — The  first  planting  .  54 

Vacant  Lot  in  Louisville — After  several  seasons' 

planting 55 

The  New  Technical  High  School,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

opp.  page     59 
Crippled  children   farming   in  the   heart  of   New 

York  City 60 

Garden  at  Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York  City  63 
Rock  Garden,  Ludlow  School,  Dubuque,  Iowa  67 
Canadian  boys  spraying  Potatoes                                  70 
Canby,  Minn.,  Public  School  Garden  and  Experi- 
mental Farm 72 

School   Garden,   State  Norm'al   School,    Kearney, 

Nebraska 74 

What  Is! 78 

What  Might  Be 78 

Children  Who  Need  School  Gardens         ...     84 
The  Raking-drill.     Carroll  Garden,  Philadelphia, 

Pa. opp.  page     89 

A  Cleveland  Lot — Before  cultivation        opp.  page     97 
The  Same  Cleveland  Lot — After  cultivation 

opp.  page    96 
Device  for  Experiments  with  Soil  .98 

Hauling  Street  Sweepings,  Louisville,  Ky.  .    103 

Chart  of  Eigh teen-Cent  Garden  .112 

Eighteen-Cent  Garden  opp.  page  1 1 5 

Fourth  Grade  boys  fixing  Fence,  Normal  School, 

Louisville,  Ky 1 19 

A  Model  Tool-House   ....        opp.  page  121 
Hazelwood  Park  School  Garden,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.   .    127 

xii 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


Section  of  Wooden  Pergola 

Doan  Sch(X3l  Garden,  Cleveland,  showing  central 


arbor  and  pergola 

Good  Tools 

Cultivating  Stick         .        .        .        . 
Proper  Use  of  the  Spade 
Rosedale  Garden,  Cleveland,  Ohio    . 
A  Garden  should  have  a  Bird-box 
Plan  of  Doan  School  Garden 
Plan  of  a  Model  Garden 
Kindergarten  Class,  Carroll  Garden, 


opp.  page 


PACK 

135 
140 

'45 
'47 
148 
150 


Philadelphia 
opp.  page 
Plan  of  Axe  School  Garden,  Philadelphia 
Lines  Stretched  for  Planting,  Red  Wing,  Minn.    . 

Crops  Appearing,  Red  Wing,  Minn 

Garden  of  Francis  W.  Parker  School,  Chicago 
Bed  Marker,  or  Marking  Board         .... 
Eight-year-ohd  boy  who  made  his  own  Marker 

Plan  of  Planting  used  by  Teachers'  Class,  Henry 
G.  Parsons,  Instructor 

Planting  Operations    ....        opp.  page  170 

Planting  Operations  (continued)  opp.  page   171 

Aquatic  Garden  with  Fountain         .... 

A  School  Garden  Class,  Red  Wing,  Minn. 

Toolhouse  Decorated  for  Harvest  Festival 

opp.  page 

Root  Cage  or  Planting  Frame 

View  of  End  Piece  showing  Grooves 

Children  of  the  Normal  School,  Louisville,  Ky.,  and 

their  tulips  blooming  in  March  .        opp.  page 
Planting  Plan,  showing  succession  of  crops.    Wil- 

lard  School  Garden,  Cleveland,  Ohio 

Outfit  for  Insect  Study 

Insect  Spreading  Board 

xiii 


'5' 
'53 
155 

'57 
161 
164 
166 

169 


172 
178 

181 
183 
184 

187 

189 
190 
191 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACK 
195 


"Killing  Jar" 

Thinning  his  Plants 

"The  Father  of  the  Man  without  a  Job" 
Normal    Student's    Home    Garden,    Washington, 

D.  C 196 

Writing  up  the  Day's  Diary 197 

Home-made  Breeding  Cage 199 

First  Year's  Growth  of  Yellow  Dock        .        .        .  204 

Jimson  Weed 204 

Plantain 206 

Common  Purslane  or  Portulaca  Oleracea  .  207 

Couch  Grass 208 

Woodbery    Garden,    Baltimore — The    lot    before 

cultivation 210 

Woodbery  Lot — After   the   children    made   their 

school  garden 211 

Pigweed 212 

Carpet  Weed 212 

Leaf,  Spike  and  Root  of  Broad-Leaved  Dock       .  213 
First  Year's  Growth  of  Broad-leaved  Dock  .214 

Poison  Ivy 215 

Flowering  Plant  of  Burdock 217 

Mullein 218 

Home  Garden  of  Two  Boys  of  the  "Training  Gar- 
den" .  -      .  .        .        opp.  page  223 

Comparing  Crops 223 

What  Park  Life  Boys  Plan 226 

Park  Life  School  Garden,  Dubuque,  Iowa  .  228 

The  Daily  Lecture  for  Park  Life  Boys  .        .  229 

The  New  Half  of   Fairview  Garden  School,  Yon- 

kers,  N.  Y opp.  page  231 

Pittsburgh  Children  enjoying  their  School  Garden  232 

Making  the  Most  of  a  Small  Space    ....  234 

The  Douglas  School  Garden,  Cincinnati  .        .        .  236 

xiv 


LIST  OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAliK 

Conquering  Difficulties,  P.  S.  41,  Manhattan.  New 

York  City 238 

School  Garden  and  Arsenal  Park,  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  239 

Plan  of  Hyannis  Garden 242 

Sixth  Grade   Pupils    Budding    Peaches,  Normal, 

111 245 

Child  with  Grain 248 

Formal  Garden  made  by  the  Children  of  School 

No.  10,  Indianapolis  opp.  page  251 

First   Grade  Children    learning  the  Names  of  the 

Flowers,  Lakeview  School,  Pueblo,  Col.  .  .252 
DeWitt  Clinton  Park  School  Garden,  New  York  .  253 
Fourth   Grade  children  cutting  Grain,  Lakeview 

School,  Pueblo 258 

A  Happy  Crowd  of  Harvesters                  opp.  page  263 
Philadelphia  Mill  Girl  Gardeners               opp.  page  267 
A  Member  of  the  "City  Beautiful  Club,"  Louis- 
ville         268 

A  Welcome  Guest  at  Fairview 271 

Our  Pumpkins,  Lakeview  School,  Pueblo  .  272 

Exhibit  of  V^egetables  raised  by  School  Children, 
Louisville,  Ky opp.  page  275 


XV 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL 
GARDEN 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL 
GARDEN       • 

"School  gardens  are  not  intended  to  create  gardeners  or  farmers, 
hut  to  aflFord  the  growing  boy  or  girl  an  opportunity  for  many-sided 
development.  ■ 

A  SCHOOL  garden  may  be  defined  as  any 
garden  where  children  are  taught  to  care 
for  flowers,  or  vegetables,  or  both,  by  one 
who  can,  while  teaching  the  life  history  of  the 
plants  and  of  their  friends  and  enemies,  instil 
in  the  children  a  love  for  outdoor  work  and  such 
knowledge  of  natural  forces  and  their  laws  as  shall 
develop  character  and  efficiency. 

To  make  it  apparent  that  size  is  not  a  crucial 
matter,  a  second  definition  may  be  that  it  "is  any 
garden  in  which  a  boy  or  girl  of  school  age  takes 
an  active  interest.  It  may  be  a  tiny  seedling  grow- 
ing in  a  flowerpot  indoors  or  an  extensive  series  of 
garden  crops  in  a  large  garden  outdoors.  The  gar- 
dens may  be  collective  or  individual  or  both;  they 
may  be  at  the  school  or  the  home  or  both.  In  all 
these  cases  the  plants  to  be  grown  are  much  the 
same  and  the  methods  involved  in  growing  them 

3 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

are  similar;"*  while  the  underlying  purpose  of  the 
teaching  is  threefold,  educational,  industrial,  and 
social — or  moral,  since  it  is  only  in  relation  to 
others  that  moral  conduct  or  character  exists. 

As  the  founder  of  the  children's  school  farm  in 
DeWitt  Clinton  Park,  New  York,  wrote  in  her 
first  report: 

"  I  did  not  start  a  garden  simply  to  grow  a  few 
vegetables  and  flowers.  The  garden  was  used  as 
a  means  to  show  how  willing  and  anxious  children 
are  to  work,  and  to  teach  them  in  their  work  some 
necessary  civic  virtues;  private  care  of  public 
property,  economy,  honesty,  application,  con- 
centration, self  government,  civic  pride,  justice, 
the  dignity  of  labor,  and  the  love  of  nature  by 
opening  to  their  minds  the  little  we  know  of  her 
mysteries,  more  wonderful  than  any  fairy  tale."f 

The  virtues  here  enumerated  can  best  be  taught 
in  the  school  garden  with  the  individual  plot  and 
ownership,  because  there  the  interest  is  greater, 
the  rewards  are  more  desirable,  and  cause  and 
effect  are  more  frequently  and  clearly  demon- 
strable. The  cultivation  of  such  virtues  is  at  the 
minimum  when  the  garden  of  a  school  is  only  a 
bit  of  decorative  planting  in  the  care  of  which  the 
children  have  no  part.  School-ground  decoration 
of  this  type  is  better  than  none,  for  like  pictures  on 
the  schoolroom  walls,  it  sends  out  a  daily  influence 

*  Weed  and  Emerson:   The  School  Garden  Book,  p.  3. 
t  Mrs.  Henry  Parsons  in  Report  of  the  First  Children's  School 
Farm  in  New  York  City,  for  1902-1904. 

4 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

in  behalf  of  orderliness  and  beauty.  So  much  the 
more  reason  why  the  decorative  planting  should 
be  of  the  best,  that  it  may  teach  symmetry 
of  arrangement,  harmony  of  line  and  color,  and 
unity  throughout. 
Such  a   garden    may  inspire   some  degree  of 


"Mine 


civic  pride  in  the  children  and  some  respect  for 
public  property  through  the  feeling  that  their 
school  home  is  superior  to  that  of  others.  But 
these  ideas  are  likely  to  be  limited  in  practical  re- 
sults to  children  who  have  an  eye  for  natural 
beauty.  Introduce  but  a  little  bulb  planting  by 
the  children,  however,  a   little  active  participa- 

5 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

tion  in  the  care  of  the  plants  and  grounds,  and  at 
once  to  each  and  every  child  the  garden  becomes 
"our"  garden,  and  an  injury  to  it  a  personal  affair; 
any  praise  or  merit  becomes  a  comment  about 
something  "  I  made  or  helped  to  make."  With 
this  sense  of  participation,  comes  genuine  private 
care  of  public  property.  Of  necessity,  there  must 
follow  with  this  kind  of  interest,  many  self-deter- 
mined convictions  on  the  part  of  the  child  as  to 
what  is  morally  as  well  as  culturally  right  and 
wrong  in  the  garden.  Lessons  like  these  become 
gradually  ingrained  modes  or  habits  of  thought, 
and  the  child  fibre  is  toughened  morally. 

The  larger  the  field  the  gardening  offers,  other 
things  being  equal,  the  greater  the  opportunity  for 
development  of  the  child.  Hence,  the  plea  for 
individual  beds  and  also  for  co-operative  labor  on 
larger  areas,  as  on  paths,  and  on  class  or  sample 
plots.  The  union  of  these  two  kinds  of  tasks  best 
illustrates  life  where  each  individual  works  out  his 
own  salvation;  if  happily  and  usefully,  he  must 
do  it  with  due  consideration  for  others  and  for  his 
own  share  of  responsibility  for  the  public  good. 

For  the  understanding  of  a  subject,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  know  both  its  past  and  present.  Con- 
sequently a  brief  history  of  school  gardening  is  in 
order.  Putting  aside  for  a  time  the  consideration 
of  the  few  gardens, — not  more  than  four  or  five, — 
which  were  started  prior  to  1900,  the  movement 
in  America  is  barely  ten  years  old.  Yet,  like  the 
occasional  stations  of  the  wireless  telegraph,  it 

6 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    THE    SCHOOL    GARDEN 

throws  a  chain  of  gardens  as  it  were,  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  from  Florida  to  Maine; 
while  in  our  island  possessions  the  people  are  fol- 
lowing our  lead,  as  in  Porto  Rico,  or  have  ante- 
dated our  experiment,  as  in  Hawaii.* 

In  the  United  States,  the  initial  step  in  establish- 
ing school  gardens  was  taken  by  the  Massachusetts 
Horticultural  Society  which,  in  1890,  sent  Mr. 
Henry  Lincoln  Clapp  to  make  a  study  of  school 
gardens  in  Europe.  As  a  result  of  his  report  and 
the  work  of  the  society  in  encouraging  children 
to  grow  flowers  and  vegetables  at  their  homes, 
interest  in  school  gardening  was  aroused  and 
slowly  but  steadily  increased.  Mr.  Clapp  him- 
self, Master  of  the  George  Putnam  school  of 
Roxbury,  Massachusetts,  instituted,  in  1891,  the 
first  school  garden  in  America, — a  wild-flower 
garden,  for  which  his  pupils  brought  the  earth  and 
collected  the  ferns.  The  garden  is  still  in  existence 
with  some  150  native  wild  plants.  Since  1900  a 
vegetable  plot  with  individual  beds  has  been  added. 

♦  In  Hawaii  "The  course  in  the  Normal  School  includes  garden 
and  field  work,  budding,  grafting,  potting,  transplanting,  study  of 
domestic  and  wild  animals,  beneficial  and  injurious  insects,  etc. 
Plats  of  ground  are  assigned  to  groups  of  students  who  supervise  the 
work  of  the  pupils  in  the  training  school  in  caring  for  these  plats. 
These  training  school  pupils  work  together  by  grades,  raising  vege- 
"^  tables  which  are  disposed  of  in  the  city  markets.  The  proceeds  are 
used  to  purchase  school  equipment.  The  other  grade  schools  of  the 
city  are  also  given  instruction  similar  to  that  in  the  training  school  by 
a  traveling  instructor,  and  a  portion  of  each  school's  grounds  is  set 
apart  for  the  growing  of  vegetables."  Alger.  K.  C:  Circulars  of 
Educational  Information  No.  13.  Depi.  of  Education.  Vermont.  1904. 

7 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Mr.  Clapp  reported  that  about  the  beginning  of 
the  last  century  many  European  proprietors  of 
large  landed  estates  instituted  gardens  or  small 
farms  for  the  instruction  of  their  younger  work- 
men and  for  the  training  of  overseers.*  Out  of 
this  practice  grew  a  few  famous  colleges,  schools  of 
agriculture  and  farm  schools,  some  of  which  spe- 
cialized in  one  or  more  branches  of  garden,  field  or 
dairy  work.  The  courses  of  study  were  planned 
to  cover  three  or  four  years'  work,  and  were  offered 
to  children  over  fourteen  years  of  age  who  were 
the  sons  or  daughters  of  the  farmers  or  laborers 
on  the  estates.  Governments  sometimes  became 
interested  in  these  schools  and  were  even  induced 
to  lend  them  aid. 

From  such  experimental  schools  there  gradually 
arose  the  belief  that  something  ought  to  be  done 
to  give  children  of  the  rural  schools  who  had 
reached  the  age  of  six  some  definite  instruction  in 
the  use  of  their  environment  so  that  they  might 
draw  from  it  both  wealth  and  happiness.  The 
underlying  reason  for  putting  such  instruction  in 
the  schools  was  not  an  educational  one.  The 
primary  object  was  not  to  train  brain,  hands  and 
muscles  at  the  same  time,  nor  to  increase  brain 
power  through  skilful  use  of  the  hands  and  prac- 
tice in  the  co-ordination  of  the  little  used  muscles; 
it  was  rather  an  economic  one,  to  stop  the  flow  of 
unskilled  labor  to  the  towns  and  cities,  to  build  up 
the  agricultural  wealth  of  the  nation. 

*  See  Appendix  A,  Note  i. 
8 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

Some  of  the  German  states  early  led  the  way 
in  the  practical  demonstration  of  the  value  of 
such  instruction.  Schleswig-Holstein  in  1814, 
Nassau  in  181 7,  and  Prussia  in  1819  introduced 
into  the  rural  schools  the  culture  of  fruits  and 
vegetables.  Other  German  states  soon  followed. 
Though  the  point  of  view  was  economic  rather 
than  educational,  the  very  stress  laid  upon  agri- 
cultural results  necessitated  careful  training  of  the 
teachers  for  such  garden  work  and,  later,  brought 
the  introduction  of  plant  study,  even  in  the  cities,* 
as  a  special  feature  of  the  work  of  the  elementary 
and  secondary  schools. 

By  royal  edicts,  in  1869,  both  Austria  and  Swe- 
den took  up  the  school  garden  movement.  Aus- 
tria demanded  that  both  a  garden  and  a  place  for 
agricultural  experiments  should  be  established 
wherever  practicable  in  connection  with  rural 
schools.  Sweden  required  that  every  school  should 
have  a  garden  containing  from  70  to  150  square 
yards  of  ground  properly  laid  out. 

Belgium  has  in  her  elementary  schools  a  compul- 
sory course  in  horticulture  in  which  she  emphasizes 
the  raising  of  fruit  and  vegetables  and  truck  farm- 
ing, the  last  being  the  main  industry  of  her  people. 

*  Berlin  has  a  large  central  garden  as  well  as  smaller  ones  adjacent 
to  her  schools.  The  central  garden  contains  about  ten  acres.  From 
it.  on  regular  distribution  days,  there  are  sent  to  the  schools  from 
SO.ooo  to  100,000  specimens  for  biological  or  botanical  study.  The 
daily  papers  announce  beforehand  the  kinds  to  be  sent.  Classes 
visit  the  garden  to  study  the  growing  plants  and  trees.  See  Bennett. 
H.  C. :  School  Gardens  in  Great  Cities,  pp.  7-9. 

9 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

France,  since  1880,  has  recognized  the  school 
garden  in  the  curriculum  of  her  elementary  schools. 
By  order  of  the  French  Ministry  of  Education, 
courses  in  the  normal  schools  are  made  to  include 
such  instruction  as  will  enable  graduate  teachers 
"to  carry  to  the  elementary  schools  an  exact 
knowledge  of  the  soil,  the  means  of  improving  it, 
methods  of  cultivation,  management  of  a  farm 
and  garden."*  The  French  Ministry  states  that 
the  main  object  is  "not  to  teach  the  business  of 
farming  but  to  inspire  a  love  for  the  country  and 
to  develop  the  natural  tendencies  of  children  to 
become  interested  in  flowers,  birds,  etc."  This  is 
the  law,  but  in  practice  the  school  gardens  as  late 
as  1902  were  universally  maintained  more  for 
the  benefit  of  the  teachers,  many  of  whom  are 
enthusiastic  horticulturists,  than  for  the  welfare 
of  the  child.  It  is  only  since  1902  that  gardens 
have  been  attached  to  the  rural  schools  and  con- 
ducted more  and  more  from  the  new  viewpoint. 

Russia,  like  France,  requires  every  school  re- 
ceiving public  funds  to  maintain  a  garden  for 
flowers  and  vegetables  and  also  a  plot  for  orchard 
and  forest  trees,  and,  in  addition,  an  apiary. 
Short  summer  courses  are  provided  for  teachers. 
Seeds  and  books  are  furnished  free,  and  traveling 
instructors  are  sent  to  see  that  the  gardens  are 
well  laid  out,  properly  started,  and  the  courses 

♦Addis,  Wilford:  Courses  in  Agriculture  in  the  Higher  Elementary 
Schools  of  France.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education.  Report  of  Com- 
missioners for  1889-1890,  Vol.  \\.,  pp.  1007-1013. 

10 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF   THE    SCHOOL   GARDEN 

of  Study  well  planned.  Still,  it  is  the  industrial 
idea  that  is  everywhere  prominent. 

in  England,  school  garden  work  has  been  carried 
on  during  the  last  seventeen  years,  but  until 
recently  chiefly  in  connection  with  supplementary 
schools  or  maintained  by  private  philanthropy.  In 
1895,  the  Department  of  Education  added  cottage 
gardening  as  an  optional  study  for  boys.  The 
gardens  were  managed  by  the  master  of  the 
school  or  by  a  gardener  from  the  neighborhood. 
This  method  has  been  improved  upon  by  the 
present  system  of  supervision.  "Each  county 
now  has  its  agricultural  inspector.  They  inspect 
and  often  instruct  in  all  the  schools  throughout 
their  respective  counties,  lecture  evenings  and 
Saturdays  to  teachers  preparing  for  examination, 
and  carry  out  a  most  detailed  system  of  marking 
day  and  evening  school  gardens,  and  judging  flower 
shows.  They  plan  the  gardens  and  seem  to  feel 
that  the  results  should  be  the  best  obtainable,  even 
though  the  workers  are  children,  else  the  parents 
will  not  be  in  sympathy  with  the  work."*  Many 
of  the  latter  have  cottage  gardens  and  are  critical 
judges  of  the  worth  of  the  children's  work. 

A  report  in  1908  by  Horace  J.  Wright,  inspector 

♦  Sipe.  Susan  B.:  School  Gardening  and  Nature  Study  in  English 
Rural  Schools  and  in  London.  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agric,  Office  of 
Experiment  Stations.  Bulletin  204. 

The  examinations  referred  to  are  those  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  covering  topics  in  elementary  agriculture.  Those  who  pass 
successfully  are  entitled,  in  some  counties,  to  additional  salaries. 

II 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

for  Surrey,  gives  "in  round  figures  8300  pupils 
receiving  instruction  in  gardening  at  600  ele- 
mentary day  schools  throughout  England." 
These,  as  well  as  the  ** evening  school  gardens"  or 
"continuation  gardens,"  are  steadily  increasing. 
Some  counties  make  liberal  grants  for  the  work 
while  others  are  parsimonious.  The  evening 
school  gardens  were  first  established  in  Surrey  in 
1892,  and  are  intended  for  boys  employed  during 
the  day.  To  such  the  teacher  or  gardener  of  the 
day  school  classes  gives  individual  attention  twice 
a  week  in  lessons  of  at  least  an  hour.  The  school 
garden  plot  is  usually  one  rod  square.  "There 
must  be  a  teacher  for  at  least  every  fourteen 
boys."  The  pupils  must  be  eleven  years  of  age 
or  older.  Prizes  are  given  to  both  the  boys  and 
the  teacher.  Indeed,  the  teachers'  salaries  are 
determined  somewhat  by  the  total  number  of 
marks  given  to  each  garden  and  its  relation  to  the 
county's  average  as  determined  by  the  county  in- 
spector. Salaries  for  a  garden  are  based  upon  a 
fee  of  three  shillings  a  pupil  for  each  plot  culti- 
vated throughout  the  summer,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  merit  grants  according  to  the  rating  of  the 
garden.  Sometimes  the  teacher  having  the  best 
garden  in  the  county,  "the  county  premier,"  is 
awarded  a  medal  or  silver  watch. 

In  Switzerland  almost  alone  we  find  emphasis 
placed  upon  the  pedagogic  and  the  utilitarian 
value  of  the  school  garden.  For  some  years, 
the  Swiss  have  kept  both  ends  equally  in  view. 

12 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

In  the  middle  grade  of  the  primary  schools, 
pupils  acquire  some  knowledge  of  agriculture. 
Instruction  is  given  in  soils  and  their  fer- 
tilization and  in  practical  field  work.  Such 
instruction,  like  the  nature  work  in  our  own 
schools,  is  a  part  of  the  regular  curriculum. 
Its  aim  is  pedagogical.  The  utilitarian  informa- 
tion given  is  incidental,  though,  of  course,  it 
appears  otherwise  to  the  child  and  often  to  the 
child's  parents.  The  main  object  of  the  study  is 
to  train  to  better  mental  grasp  by  developing  the 
power  of  observation,  the  skilful  use  of  the  finer 
muscles  of  the  hands,  and  by  experience  through 
practical  lessons  in  cause  and  effect. 

Turning  for  a  moment  to  Canada,  where,  in  the 
spring  of  1904,  a  group  of  school  gardens  was 
established  in  each  of  the  provinces  of  On- 
tario, Quebec,  New  Brunswick,  Nova  Scotia  and 
Prince  Edward's  Island,  we  encounter  the  work 
of  Dr.  James  W.  Robertson,*  former  Commis- 
sioner of  Agriculture  and  Dairying  and  until  lately 
director  of  the  Macdonald  Fund  and  President  of 
Macdonald  College  at  Ste.  Anne  de  Bellevue.  The 
Macdonald  Fund  for  the  establishment  of  the 
Macdonald  schools  throughout  the  eastern  prov- 
inces, Macdonald  Institute  at  Guelph,  Canada, 
neighbor  to  the  Ontario  Agricultural  College,  and 
Macdonald  College  recently  established  at  Ste. 
Anne  de  Bellevue  in  the  province  of  Quebec,  were 

♦Dr.  Robertson  is  known  as  the  "Agricultural  Wizard  of  the 
North." 

«3 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

the  gifts  of  Sir  William  C.  Macdonald  of  Mont- 
real. 

The  Macdonald  movement  "aims  at  helping 
the  rural  population  to  understand  better  what 
education  is  and  what  it  aims  at  for  them  and  their 
children."  It  deals  on  the  one  side  with  the  im- 
provement of  homes  through  its  preparation  of 


Macdonald  College,  Ste.  Anne  de  Bellevue.     School  Garden 
ON  THE  "Group  Plan" 


teachers  in  domestic  science  and  household  art, 
and  on  the  other  with  the  betterment  of  rural 
home  conditions  through  improvement  of  the 
school  life  and  modification  of  the  curriculum  to 
meet  the  needs  of  rural  districts.  As  a  vital 
factor  bearing  upon  the  life  of  the  community, 
and  as  pedagogically  sound,  it  introduced  in  addi- 

14 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 


tion  to  manual  training,  the  school  garden,  whose 
influence  and  worth  had  already  been  demon- 
strated at  Toronto  in  the  Broadview  Gardens  at- 
tached to  the  Boys'  Brigade  Institute,*  and  on  a 
larger  scale  by  Dr.  Mac- 
Kay,  superintendent  of 
education  in  the  Nova 
Scotia  schools.  As  early 
as  1904,  Nova  Scotia  had 
some  79  gardens,  and  the 
maritime  provinces  have 
sent  the  greater  number 
of  teachers  to  Macdonald 
Institute  for  the  spring 
and  summer  courses. 

The  Macdonald  school 
gardens  put  in  the  back- 
ground European  ideas 
of  utility,  whether  eco- 
nomic or  as  preliminary 
of  agriculture. 


3FT.P0TH 


Section  of  a  "Group"  Gar- 
den :Onb  or  Two  Children 
ON  Each  Vegetable  Plot 


to  a    scientific  study 
Insisting  that  "nearly  all  such 


*  This  Institute,  under  Captain  Atkinson,  is  a  self-governing  club, 
carrying  on  evening  classes;  two  joint  stock  corporations  (one  dealing 
in  honey,  one  in  maple  syrup):  and  a  garden  on  a  township  plan  of 
control.  The  boys  pay  for  their  garden  privilege.  They  make  what 
they  can  from  their  produce,  even  being  allowed  to  speculate  by 
hiring  some  of  their  fellow  farmers  to  work  for  them  or  by  buying 
standing  crops.  This  practice  is  guarded  somewhat,  and  is  defended 
on  the  ground  that  "such  is  life."  where  foresight,  brains,  industry, 
rightly  count  more  than  short-sighted  contentment  with  being  just 
a  "hewer  of  wood"  or  unskilled  tiller  of  land.  Plots  near  the  street 
are  sold  only  to  good  gardeners.  In  iqoS  one  boy  took  |i8  in  prize 
money  alone. 

2  15 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

gardens  stop  short  with  a  certain  amount  of 
scientific  information  and  the  habit  of  careful 
observation,"  these  Canadian  gardens  while  "de- 
signed to  encourage  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  as 
an  ideal  life  work,  intend  to  promote  above  all 
things  else  symmetrical  education  of  the  indi- 
vidual."    Hence,  in  order  that  this  attitude  might 


Macdonald  Instituth,  Guelph,  School  Gardens,  July,  i^of) 


be  emphasized  and  the  gardens  become  a  factor  in 
an  educational  movement.  Dr.  Robertson  brought 
them  under  the  Department  of  Education  in  each 
province  rather  than  under  the  Department  of 
Agriculture.  Twenty-one  school  gardens  were 
started  and  were  maintained  free  of  cost  to  either 
pupils  or  the  public  for  three  years.  The  various 
provinces  passed  Orders  in  Council  incorporating 

i6 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

them  into  their  educational  systems,  thus  placing 
the  school  gardens  of  Canada  on  a  broader  educa- 
tional basis  than  those  of  any  other  state  or 
country. 


':* 


BowEsviLLE  School  Grounds,  Canada 


"The  Macdonald  school  gardens  not  only  have 
a  recognized  place  in  the  provincial  systems  of 
education,  but  they  are  attached  to  the  ordinary 
rural  schools,  owned  by  the  school  corporation, 

17 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

and  conducted  under  the  authority  of  the  school 
trustees  and  with  the  express  approval  of  the  rate 
payers.  The  work  of  the  garden  is  recognized 
as  a  legitimate  part  of  the  school  program  and  it 
is  already  interwoven  with  a  considerable  part  of 
the  other  studies.  The  garden  is  becoming  the 
outer  classroom  of  the  school,  and  its  plots  are  its 
blackboards.  The  garden  is  not  an  innovation,  or 
an  excrescence,  or  an  addendum,  or  a  diversion. 
It  is  a  happy  field  of  expression,  an  organic  part 
of  the  school  in  which  the  boys  and  girls  work 
among  growing  things  and  grow  themselves  in 
body  and  mind  and  spiritual  outlook."* 

At  the  beginning  of  the  movement,  six  teachers 
of  experience  in  the  rural  schools  were  selected  and 
sent,  at  the  expense  of  the  Macdonald  fund,  for 
special  studies  to  the  Ontario  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Guelph  and  to  Chicago,  Cornell,  Columbia 
and  Clark  universities.  They  were  specially 
trained  to  supervise  the  work  in  each  of  the 
provinces.!  The  general  plan  was  to  have  the 
gardens  started  in  groups  of  five  schools  each,  at 
distances  of  from  seven  to  fifteen  or  more  miles 
apart,  and  to  have  traveling  instructors  superin- 

*  Cowley,  R.  H.:  The  Macdonald  School  Gardens  of  Canada, 
Queen's  Quarterly,  p.  401. 

t  For  the  present  requirements  for  teachers  see  Elementary 
Agriculture  and  Horticulture  and  School  Gardens  in  Village  and 
Rural  Schools.  Explanatory  and  Descriptive  Circular  No.  13, 
Sept.  1907,  July,  iQOQ,  issued  by  Department  of  Education,  Toronto, 
Canada.  Also  programs  of  Summer  School  for  Teachers,  issued  by 
Macdonald  Institute,  Guelph.     See  Appendix  A,  Note  2. 

18 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF   THE    SCHOOL    GARDEN 

tend  the  work  of  each  group.  By  these  means  the 
value  of  the  work  became  known  to  as  many 
taxpayers  as  possible.  To  further  this  end.  the 
gardens  were  open  to  inspection  at  all  times  and 
their  pupils  encouraged  to  try  for  prizes  at  the 
county  fairs,  "in  many  places  the  people  have 
taken  up  the  experiment  with  an  openmindedness 


Teachers'  Class  Visiting  the  Merden  School  Gardens.  Canada 


that  has  already  carried  it  far  on  the  way  to 
success."  Today,  with  the  exception  of  Quebec, 
where  a  dual  system  of  schools  (Protestant  and 
Catholic)  exists,  the  Macdonald  school  gardens, 
some  twenty-nine  in  number,  are  supported  largely 
by  the  provinces,  in  Quebec  and  in  a  few  in- 
stances elsewhere  the  Macdonald  fund  still 
offers  assistance,   though    its    chief  work    is    to 

19 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

support  the  two  institutions  for  the  suitable 
preparation  of  leaders  and  teachers  in  the  "new 
education." 

Among  pioneer  school  gardens  in  the  United 
States,  one  of  the  earliest,  largest  and  most  com- 
plete was  that  established  in  1897  by  the  National 
Cash  Register  Company  of  Dayton,  Ohio.  The 
president  of  the  cornpany,  after  an  investigation 
of  the  successes  and  failures  of  the  men  who 
had  been  boys  with  him,  was  impressed  by 
the  fact  that  there  had  been  scarcely  a  failure 
among  those  boys  who  had  been  responsible  for 
some  farm  or  garden  "chores."  He  decided  that 
in  a  very  rough  neighborhood  he  would  make  the 
experiment  of  using  the  surplus  energy  of  the  boys 
in  practical  garden  work  and  let  them  have  the 
products  of  their  steady  work  and  business  energy. 
So  gratifying  was  the  result  that  the  garden  is  to- 
day a  marked  feature  of  the  welfare  work  for  the 
employes  of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company.* 

About  the  same  time,  1897-1898,  several  normal 
schools  in  the  east  began  to  offer  instruction  in 
school  gardening,  notably  Hyannis,  Massachusetts, 
where,  by  means  of  the  gardening  lessons,  banking 
and  business  operations  were  taught,  as  well  as  the 
correlation  of  garden  work  with  arithmetic  and 

*  The  plots  are  lo  x  loo  feet.  They  are  for  boys  old  and  strong 
enough  to  garden  on  a  scale  sufficient,  for  example,  to  permit  one 
boy  to  provide  a  family  of  five  with  fresh  vegetables  throughout 
the  Season,  and  make  $5.00  in  addition.  The  boys  work  under  a 
competent  gardener. 

20 


UNIVERSITY 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

Other  studies  of  the  schoolroom.  South  Framing- 
ham,  Massachusetts;  Willimantic,  Connecticut; 
Hampton,  Virginia;*  Johnson,  Vermont,  soon  fell 
into  line,  in  the  west,  the  development  of  the 
garden  in  connection  with  rural  and  consolidated 
schools,  was  taken  up  with  energy.f  Salt  Lake 
City,  Utah;  Silver  Lake,  New  Mexico;  Joliet, 
Illinois;  Louisville,  Kentucky;  St.  Louis,  Missouri; 
Menomonie,  Wisconsin;  and  Los  Angeles,  Cal- 
ifornia, were  among  the  pioneers. ;[:  The  Normal 
School  of  Washington,  D.  C,  introduced  the  work, 
and  Congress  finally  made  a  small  grant  for  gardens 
in  the  District  of  Columbia.  By  1904,  Circular 
13,  issued  by  the  Department  of  Education  of  the 
state  of  Vermont,  reported  in  all  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  normal  schools  and  ten  or  twelve  agri- 
cultural colleges  throughout  the  country  as  dis- 
playing much  interest  and  activity  in  the  school 

♦The  Whittier  School  is  the  practice  school  of  the  Institute. 
It  is  also  a  free  public  school.  Probably  no  school  garden  in  the 
country  has  had  a  greater  influence  than  that  of  the  Whittier  School. 
It  reaches  about  300  of  its  own  children  and  through  the  work  of  the 
normal  department  of  Hampton,  hundreds  of  teachers  and  thousands 
of  children  of  the  colored  and  Indian  races. 

t  Supt.  O.  J.  Kern's  work  in  Winnebago  County.  111.,  is  especially 
noteworthy.  See  Annual  Reports  of  the  Winnebago  County  Schools 
and  also  his  Among  Country  Schools,  Ginn  and  Co..  Boston.  IQ06. 

X  This  chapter  confines  itself  to  a  brief  mention  of  those  cities 
or  gardens  where  pioneer  work  was  done  and  to  an  outline  of  its 
development  up  to  the  present  time  when  there  are  too  many  towns 
and  cities  engaged  in  the  work  to  enumerate  them.  Later  in  the 
book  special  references  are  made  to  some  of  the  striking  details 
in  the  work  of  different  localities. 

21 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

garden  movement.  Preparation  was  thus  being 
made  for  putting  school  garden  instruction  on  a 
pedagogical  basis  and  preparing  teachers  for  their 
work. 
^  Since  1904,  other  institutions,  such  as  New 
York  University,  Amherst  Agricultural  College, 
Storrs,  the  Chautauqua  Assembly,  have  opened 


Morgan  School,  Washington,  D.  C. 

short  summer  courses  for  teachers,  and  in  1909 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania  gave  a  course  of 
four  lectures,  offering  as  an  object  lesson  to  its 
summer  students  a  school  garden  cultivated  by 
the  children  of  Philadelphia.*     Both  lectures  and 

*  Already  farmers'  institutes  of  several  states  have  officially 
endorsed  the  school  garden;  summer  schools  are  offering  courses  for 
its  advancement.  The  agricultural  colleges  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa, 
Minnesota,  Ohio,  Nebraska,  Rhode  Island,  Tennessee,  Wisconsin,  and 

22 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    THE    SCHOOL   GARDEN 

garden  were  conducted  by  the  city  supervisor  of 
school  gardens.  Cornell  in  her  Agricultural  Col- 
lege offers  helpful  courses,  and  constantly  seeks  to 
arouse  and  sustain  interest  in  the  outdoor  world 
and  particularly  in  rural  life,  by  means  of  her 
many  bulletins.  The  Rural  School  Leaflets  and 
Home  Nature  Study  Course  are  widely  distributed. 
In  the  central  west,  the  Cleveland  Home  Garden- 
ing Association  began  its  work  in  1900  with  the 
distribution  of  48,868  penny  packets  of  seeds. 
In  the  following  year,  it  instituted  a  test  garden 
in  the  center  of  the  city.  It  has  continued  and 
greatly  increased  its  work  both  with  adults  and 
with  the  school  children  under  the  direction  of  the 
able  curator  of  school  gardens,  Miss  Louise  Klein 
Miller.  The  Cleveland  board  of  education  was 
the  first  to  appreciate  the  value  of  school  garden 
work  and  to  create  the  office  of  curator.  The 
curator  is  not  on  the  educational  staff  but  holds 
office  under  the  administrative  department  and  is 
responsible  to  the  director  of  schools.  The  board 
places  at  the  curator's  disposal  three  laborers  and 
in  1909  gave  her  an  assistant  teacher.  While 
laying  much  stress  on  the  nine  school  gardens 
connected  with  its  schools  and  steadily  enlarging 
their  number,  it  particularly  emphasizes  school- 
others  among  the  states  are  doing  what  they  can  in  the  way  of 
training  teachers.  In  iqog  the  Rhode  Island  College  provided  a 
traveling  supervisor  for  the  gardens  already  established  in  Provi- 
dence and  Newport.  Normal  schools  and  colleges  are  also  providing 
winter  courses,  giving  the  teachers  either  Saturday  lectures  or  more 
extended  courses  through  a  part  of  the  year's  session. 

23 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

ground  decoration.  The  board  encourages  but 
does  not  enforce  correlation  of  school  garden 
work  with  routine  studies.*  It  does  not,  in 
any  grade,  compel  the  children  to  work  in  the 
gardens.  However,  it  conducts  gardens  through- 
out the  year,  and  provides  for  informal  in- 
struction by  the  curator,  for  lectures  on  garden- 
ing in  the  schools  in  the  spring,  and  for  flower 
shows  in  September  and  October.  Co-operating 
with  the  Home  Gardening  Association  of  Cleve- 
land, the  board  approves  the  association's  vacant 
lot  work  and  its  training  garden,  where  boy 
farmers  are  taught  simple  truck  farming.f  To- 
gether, they  encourage  the  children  to  purchase 
bulbs  and  seeds,  to  plant  home  gardens,  and  to 
take  an  interest  in  the  flower  shows  and  festivals 
at  which  prizes  are  offered  by  the  association  or 
its  friends.  In  school  ground  decoration  the 
children  usually  have  some  part,  either  in  the 
planting,  or  care  or  both.  Today,  Cleveland  has 
more  than  50,000  home  gardens  due  to  the  influence 
of  the  school  garden  and  the  efforts  of  the  Home 
Gardening  Association.  The  latter  distributes  seed 
packets  and  bulbs  by  the  hundred  thousands  both 
in  Cleveland  and  in  outside  territory. J 

*  The  curator  has  worked  out  a  system  of  correlation  in  arithmetic, 
geography,  drawing  and  manual  training  which  is  optional. 

t  Plots  in  the  training  ground  are  14  x  25  feet  and  28  x  50  feet,  in 
all  about  65  plots,  and  are  for  boys  from  ten  to  fourteen  years  of  age. 

t  Outside  of  Cleveland  in   1909,  421,611  seed  packets  were  dis- 
tributed. 

24 


The  Home  Gardening  Association 

SEEDS  FOR  1908. 
Price  One  Cent  a  Packet. 

Mark  opposite  the  variety  the  number  of  packets  wanted. 

Separate  Colors  Cannot  be  Ordered. 


FLOWER  SEEDS. 


Aster,  mixed. 
Scarlet.  White  and  Rose. 
15  itichts  luKh- 

Morning  Glory,  a  climber.     1 

mixed  colors,                      i 

12  ft.  high.                         1 

Bachelor's  Button  or  Corn- 
flower, mixed,  Blue,  Pink 
and  While.  2  ft.  high. 

Nasturtium, a  climber. mixed 
Yellow,  Orange  and  Red, 
6  ft.  high. 

China  Pinks,  mixed. 
Pink.  Scarlel.  White. and 
Lilac,  6  inches  hi^h.      1 

Petunia, 
Purple  and  White,             1 
I  ft.  high.                        1 

Calendula. 
Yellow  and  Orange, 
1  ft.  high. 

Phlox,  mixed  (annual) .        i 
Scarlet,  Pink  and  White, 
I  ft.  high. 

Candytuft -mixed. 
White.  Pink  and  Red. 
I  ft.  high. 

Portulaca. 

mixed  colors, 
4  inches  high.                  ! 

Four.O'clock. 
Yellow,  White  and  Crim- 
son. 2  ft.  high. 

Scablosa,  or  Pincushion, 
mixed,  R<  d.  Lilac  and 
Pink,  I ^  ft.  high.            ' 

Larkspur. 

Blue,  White  and  Pink. 
2  ft.  h  gh. 

Verbena,  mixed. 
White,  Scarlet.  Purple,     | 
6  inches  high.                  1 

Mariaold.  French, 
Yellow  and  Brown, 
I  ft.  hieh. 

Zinnia,  double, 
Scarlet, 
2  ft.  high.                         i 

VEGETABLE  SEEDS. 


Beans,  bush, 
1  ft.  high.                          1 
Plant  about  May  tst.      | 

Onions. 
I  ft.  high. 
Plant  about  April  15th. 

Beets.                                 1 
9  inches  high,                      I 
Plant  about  April  asth. 

Radishes. 

6  inches  high. 
Plant  about  April  15th. 

Carrots. 
6  inches  high. 

Plant  about  May  15th. 

Spinach. 
6  inches  high, 
Plant  about  April  15th 

Lettuce. 

9  inches  high. 
Plant  a»K)ut  April  15th. 

Sweet  Corn, 

6  ft.  high. 
Plant  about  May  isth. 

Return  this  envelope  to  the  teacher,  with  your  money.  Do  not  put 
money  in  this  envelope. 

No.  of  packets Amount —  cents. 

Write  your  name  here . ~ 

Address ^ 

School Grade... No.  of  Room 

Your  seeds  will  be  delivered  in  this  Envhlopk  about  April  15th. 
Prepare  your  garden  early  in  April.  Select  the  sunniest  part  of  vour 
yard,  but  avoid  a  place  where  the  drippings  from  the  roof  will  fall  on 
the  bed.  Dig  de«  p— a  full  foot— and  break  up  the  lumps.  Soil  with 
well-rotted  manure  dug  in  will  give  better  results  than  poor  soil. 
Vegetables  require  good,  rich  soil. 


25 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

In  New  England  the  pioneer  work  of  establish- 
ing school  gardens  was,  as  has  been  said,  begun 
under  the  influence  of  the  Massachusetts  Horticul- 
tural Society;  and  a  little  later  the  Massachu- 
setts Civic  League,  the  Wornan's  Auxiliary  of  the 
American  Park  and  Outdoor  Art  Association, 
the   Twentieth   Century   Club   and    the   Normal 


School  of  Horticulture,  Hartford,  Conn. 


School  of  Boston  as  well  as  other  clubs,  schools 
and  village  improvement  societies  throughout  the 
state,  took  up  the  work. 

In  Connecticut,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Francis  Goodwin 
in  1900  founded  the  Hartford  School  of  Horti- 
culture. The  enterprise  of  the  Women's  Civic 
Club  of  that  city,  shortly  after,  started  a  garden 

26 


Boys'  Plots.  School  of  Horticulture 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

in  the  public  park,  which  has  now  been  taken  over 
by  the  board  of 
school  visitors  as 
one  of  the  several 
gardens  main- 
tained by  them. 
Dr.  Good  wi  n 
founded  the 
School  of  Horti- 
culture to  give 
opportunity  for 
individual  work 
and  graded  train- 
ing  to   the   boys 

of  the  Watkinson  Farm  School  of  which  he  was  a 
trustee.     Under  Mr.  Herbert  Hemenway  the  work 

of  the  School  of 
Horticulture  was 
broadened  to  in- 
clude city  boys 
and  girls,  teach- 
ers' classes,  and 
gardens  for  adult 
men  and  women 
who  wished  to  cul- 
tivate a  plot  un- 
der expert  super- 
vision or  advice. 
Recently,  under 
the  present  direc- 
tor, Mr.  Stanley  H.  Rood,  lecture  courses  have  also 

27 


A      1  hAcHhR  S    (lARObN,    Si:HOOl.    OF 

Horticulture 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

been  given  to  teachers  by  experts  upon  such 
practical  problems  as  soils  and  their  treatment, 
and  other  agricultural  topics. 

Another  pioneer  garden  serving  as  a  model  for 
the  peculiar  needs  of  congested  districts  in  large 
cities,  is  that  of  DeWitt  Clinton  Park  School  Farm 
of  New   York,   originated    and   started    in    1901 


DeWitt  Clinton  Park  School  Garden,  New  York  City 


by  Mrs.  Henry  Parsons.  It  has  given  inspira- 
tion to  many  people  to  start  other  gardens  upon 
similar  lines.  Its  work  was  exhibited  on  a  small 
scale  at  both  the  St.  Louis  and  Jamestown  Ex- 
positions. On  little  4x8  foot  plots  by  a  system 
of  two  plantings,  one  in  May  and  one  in  July,  it 
takes  some  thousand  children  off  the  city  streets, 
furnishes  nature  study  material  to  schools  and  vis- 

28 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    THE    SCHOOL    GARDEN 

iting  classes,  and  gives  to  a  number  of  crippled 
children  brought  there  each  week,  some  happy 
hours  working  over  their  little  farms,  or  superin- 
tending such  work  when  it  must  be  done  by  stronger 
arms.  The  School  Farm,  with  its  flowers,  its  regu- 
lar lines  of  vegetables,  its  grains  and  observation 
plots,  presents  an  almost  park-like  appearance  to 
the  neighborhood. 

The  earlier  work  of  Philadelphia  with  its  con- 
stantly increasing  number  of  school  gardens,  the 
work  in  Washington,  D.  C,  and  the  successful 
Fairview  Garden  School  of  Yonkers,  New  York, 
should  be  mentioned  among  the  pioneers. 

Philadelphia  stands  out  today  as  the  city  whose 
board  of  education  most  fully  recognizes,  from 
the  pedagogical  and  educational  standpoint,  the 
value  of  the  school  garden.  It  appoints  a  su- 
pervisor of  school  gardens  (Miss  Stella  Nathan) ; 
incorporates  the  work  into  its  school  system  in  cer- 
tain grades,  and  maintains  the  gardens  throughout 
the  growing  season.  The  teaching  in  the  gardens, 
therefore,  follows  a  prescribed  course,  yet  loses 
none  of  its  joyous,  vital  interest  to  the  children. 
This  instruction  is  correlated  in  the  school  room 
work  "from  the  kindergarten  to  the  senior  class 
of  the  normal  school."  Philadelphia  now  has 
8  school  gardens,  accommodating  from  1 50  to 
200  children  each,  22  kindergarten  and  1764 
home  gardens.  It  is  intended  in  the  coming 
year  that  these  last  shall  be  regularly  supervised 
by  one  of  the  staff  of  gardening  instructors  in  the 

29 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

neighborhood  where  they  are  located.  The  de- 
tails of  this  work  as  well  as  that  of  Cleveland  will 
be  taken  up  later.  These  two  cities  are  foremost 
in  demonstrating  the  value  of  the  school  garden 
and  in  honoring  it  by  placing  their  respective  cura- 
tor and  supervisor  in  high  official  positions,  with 
suitable  appropriations  for  their  work. 

In  the  United  States  school  gardens  are  spread- 
ing rapidly,  and  the  work  is  becoming  more  and 
more  recognized  as  worthy  of  a  place  in  local 
educational  systems.  At  the  national  capital, 
the  District  of  Columbia,  limited  by  the  terms 
of  the  Congressional  appropriation  of  f  1200  for 
school  gardens,  which  forbid  the  use  of  the 
money  for  salaries,  does  the  next  best  thing 
and  appoints  Miss  Susan  B.  Sipe,  one  of  the 
teachers  in  the  Normal  School,  at  a  nominal 
salary,  as  supervisor  of  nature  study  and  school 
gardens  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  A  course  in 
nature  study  has  been  prepared  defining  the  work 
from  grade  to  grade  and  so  systematized  that 
each  child  has  a  "required  amount  of  work  in  the 
school  garden  just  as  he  has  in  arithmetic,  reading, 
etc."  Washington  has  four  large  school  gardens 
on  vacant  lots,  and  for  school-ground  decoration 
Miss  Sipe  counts  100  white  and  50  colored  schools 
in  all  but  3  of  which  the  children  have  some  part 
in  the  planting  and  care.  Moreover,  as  empha- 
sizing the  value  of  her  work,  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  has  made  her  a  colla- 
borator in  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  and  fur- 

30 


THE  EVOLUTION  OF  THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN 

nished  her  with  a  greenhouse  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  normal  students  in  school  garden  teach- 
ing. These  pupils  are  required  to  conduct  home 
gardens  under  supervision.  The  Bureau  of  Plant 
Industry,  together  with  the  Office  of  Experi- 
ment  Stations,  works  with  the  schools,  furnish- 


CoRNER  OF  Ludlow  Schoolyard,  Washington.  D.  C. 


ing  the  supervisor  with   plants,  seeds  and  other 
material. 

Nor  does  the  United  States  government  stop 
here  in  its  furtherance  of  the  movement.  It  has 
published  a  large  number  of  bulletins  on  school 
gardens  and  allied  topics  which  may  be  had  by 
application  to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture.     The 

3' 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  furnishes  a  large  amount 
of  seeds  in  answer  to  "school  requests,"  which 
latter  have  steadily  increased  in  number  since 
1904,  and  now  come  from  every  state  in  the 
Union,  mounting  into  the  thousands.*  These 
seeds  are  put  up  in  four  sets;  namely,  flowers, 
vegetables,  decorative  and  economic.  Each  of 
the  first  two  sets  contains  five  packets  of  differ- 
ent kinds  of  seed.  The  decorative  set  contains 
ten  and  the  economic  eighteen  packets,  with 
enough  of  each  kind  to  plant  a  square  rod  of 
ground.  Three  of  the  most  important  Farmers' 
Bulletins  are  No.  195,  Annual  Flowering  Plants; 
No.  218,  The  School  Garden;  and  No.  134,  Tree 
Planting  on  Rural  School  Grounds.  One  of  great 
interest,  No.  204,  Gardening  and  Nature  Study  in 
English  Schools,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations, 
has  been  referred  to. 

The  school  requests  indicate  a  widespread 
interest  in  garden  work  for  children.  As  yet  one 
may  readily  count  the  number  of  gardens  that 
have  risen  into  prominence  because  of  their  excep- 
tionally fine  work.     There  are,  however,  with  and 

♦  in  1908,  1400  requests  for  seeds  came  from  approximately 
4200  schools  and  ranged  from  one  order  of  each  set  of  flower  and 
vegetable  seeds  to  sometimes  as  many  as  300  of  these,  and  usually 
included  decorative  and  economic  sets.  The  economic  set  includes 
grasses,  cereals,  forage  and  fibre  plants  so  that  the  children  may 
become  familiar  with  staple  crops  grown  elsewhere  than  in  their 
own  locality.  There  was  enough  of  each  kind  of  seed  to  plant  a 
square  rod  of  ground.  Requests  for  from  50  to  100  sets  were  not 
uncommon. 

32 


THE    EVOLUTION   OF   THE    SCHOOL   GARDEN 

without  government  help,  hundreds  of  school  gar- 
dens cultivated  by  from  20  to  200  children  each,  in 
scattered  towns  and  cities  from  Maine  to  Virginia, 
and  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Atlantic,  that  are 
quietly  doing  good  work  the  excellence  of  which 
in  many  cases  has  not  come  to  public  notice. 
In  the  south  and  middle  west  and  in  the  far  coast 


Second  GRAOt  Children   Making  Cuttings. 
Washington,  D.  C. 


Normal  School, 


states,  in  territory  with  which  the  writer  is  not 
personally  familiar,  there  are  thousands  of  tenta- 
tive attempts  to  utilize  this  new  factor  in  educa- 
tion. 

As  a  rule,  the  normal  schools  have  been  the 
first  to  endorse  the  school  garden  and  to  try  out 
its  value,  while  boards  of  education  have  viewed 

33 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

it  as  a  new  thing  requiring  it  to  prove  its  educa- 
tional and  social  worth.  Frequently  they  give  it 
a  meagre  support,  recognizing  it  perhaps  by  the 
appointment  of  a  nature  study  teacher  as  a  super- 
visor of  school  gardens,  but  granting  little  or  no 
money  toward  either  the  maintenance  of  the  garden 
or  a  reasonable  salary  to  cover  the  summer's  work 
of  supervision.  Sometimes  this  lack  of  support  is 
due  to  a  division  of  opinion  among  the  school  com- 
missioners or  among  members  of  the  boards  of 
estimate.  It  may  meet  the  opposition  of  the  older 
and  more  conservative  principals  of  the  city,  or  of 
a  ward  politician  who  sees  no  sense  in  it  and  is 
afraid  that  the  voters  will  look  upon  it  as  a  new 
fad  or  a  new  excuse  for  increasing  taxes. 

Generally,  the  school  garden  idea  has  captured 
the  educational  leaders  in  our  country,  made 
friends  for  itself  among  the  most  progressive  of 
our  teachers,  old  and  new,  and  won  the  children 
wherever  it  has  been  tried.  One  drawback  to  its 
rapid  growth  is  that  there  is  still  confusion  be- 
cause of  the  stress  that  has  been  laid  sometimes 
upon  theoretical  views;  or  upon  its  peculiar  fitness 
to  meet  the  special  needs  of  particular  places. 
These  lesser  questions  can  be  safely  left  to  settle 
themselves,  for  a  school  garden  is  like  a  bank  in 
that  it  may  be  drawn  upon  for  values  of  different 
kinds  to  meet  different  needs,  as  one  may  require 
money  in  the  form  of  gold  or  silver,  check  or  draft. 
In  a  school  garden  the  educational,  economic, 
aesthetic,  utilitarian,  or  sociological  value  may  be 

34 


THE    EVOLUTION    QF    THE    SCHOOL    GARDEN 

made  most  prominent,  according  to  circumstances. 
Its  power  for  developing  a  child's  nature  should 
not  be  confined  to  only  one  of  these  viewpoints; 
neither  should  it  be  considered  appropriate  to  one 
stratum  of  society  or  to  a  few  classes  of  children 
only.  It  may  ease  the  condition  of  the  poor  and 
bring  profit  and  pleasure  to  their  children.  To 
the  children  of  the  rich  and  well  to  do  it  will  give 
pleasure,  and  should  teach  some  needed  lessons  in 


MaC1X>NALI)    CoNSOI.IDAIHl)    ScHOOL    AND    GaRDHNS,    Gl'ELPH 

personal  responsibility  and  in  the  consequences  of 
broken  laws  from  which  it  is  human  nature  to 
think  that  one  may  escape. 

So  long  as  the  educational  value  of  school 
gardens  is  not  fully  recognized  by  local  school 
boards,  just  so  long  will  they  be  dependent  for 
their  support  upon  philanthropic  societies  or  upon 
the  good  will  of  private  individuals,  and  be  subject 
to  the  discouragement  of  loose  tenure  and  shift  of 
locality  as  land  values  rise.     Until  very  recently 

35 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

those  interested  in  agriculture  or  horticulture  or 
in  attempts  to  benefit  social  conditions  have  been 
most  active  in  establishing  them.*  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  how  many  gardens  like  those  at 
Yonkers,  at  Pittsburgh,  at  Dubuque  and,  in  part, 
at  Cleveland,  have  developed  into  social  centers. 
Among  educators,  friends  of  the  school  garden 
are  multiplying  rapidly,  and  increasing  numbers 
believe  ''that  instruction  such  as  is  given  in  the 
school  garden  is  of  the  right  kind.  It  arouses 
interest  in  real  things;  it  develops  judgment; 
it  brings  the  child  in  contact  with  his  envi- 
ronment, and  above  all,  it  gives  that  opportunity 
for  placing  responsibility  on  the  child  without 
which  character  is  not  developed.  The  activi- 
ties of  school  garden  work  are  natural  to  the  child 
and  give  much  needed  respite  from  school-room 
restraint.  .  .  .  The  child's  mind  gets  growth 
out  of  them  because  it  can  understand  them. 
Not  only  does  the  school  garden  serve  to  edu- 
cate and  train,  but  it  supplies  a  kind  of  knowledge 

*  The  National  Plant,  Flower  and  Fruit  Guild  encourages  school 
gardens  and  through  its  local  branches  assists  in  starting  them. 

The  International  School  Farm  League  seeks  to  develop  the 
school  garden  in  connection  with  schools,  parks,  institutions  and  day 
camps,  as  an  educational,  recreational,  sociological,  and  remedial 
agency. 

The  Gardening  Association  of  America,  organized  October,  190Q, 
in  Buffalo,  gives  equal  emphasis  to  vacant  lot  and  school  gardening 
and  will  encourage  both  because  of  their  tendency  to  benefit  the 
poor,  to  show  the  power  of  self-help,  to  further  agricultural  interests, 
to  lessen  the  evil  influences  of  city  life  and  to  cultivate  a  love  of 
growing  plants. 

36 


THE    EVOLUTION    OF    THE    SCHOOL   GARDEN 

that  is  highly  useful  and  cultivates  a  taste  for 
an  honorable  and  remunerative  vocation/'* 

Perhaps  best  of  all  is  that  teaching  of  the  saner 
and  sweeter  side  of  life  which  comes  when  the 
school  garden  takes  the  child  off  the  city  streets, 
away  from  crowded  alleys,  vicious  surroundings, 
and,  in  the  country,  often  from  misspent  leisure; 
when  it  finds  happy  work  for  idle  hands,  health  for 
enfeebled  bodies,  and  training  for  the  will  and  affec- 
tions. If  you  doubt  the  last  service,  watch  the 
child's  love  for  the  flowers  and  vegetables  he  has 
made  to  grow,  and  the  affectionate  pride  of  his 
parents  in  the  success  of  his  garden.  Sometimes 
a  selfish  interest  in  what  the  child  can  provide  for 
the  family  table  has  brought  him  more  considera- 
tion and  developed  greater  gentleness  and  co- 
operation in  the  family  life.  It  has  proved  just 
as  well  to  "stand  in"  with  the  little  farmer  who 
can  provide  otherwise  unattainable  delicacies  of 
fresh  vegetables,  salads  and  soup  materials. 

All  these  things  make  any  kind  of  a  garden 
worth  while,  and,  if  we  utilize  the  interest  in  it 
to  freshen  the  wearisome  tasks  of  the  school- 
room, there  is  an  added  value.  The  dullest 
child  will  brighten  as  he  or  she  lays  out  the  little 
plot,  figures  out  the  crops,  or  calculates  the  gains. 
The  telling  of  a  story  with  innocent  and  pleasur- 
able self  interest  as  the  pivotal  point,  opens  a  way 
into  an  easier  and  better  land  of  composition  than 
was  dreamed  of  before;    while  history  and  geog- 

♦Spillman,  W.  J.:    Significance  of  the  School  Garden  Movement. 
37 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS' 

raphy,  textiles,  food  and  clothing  have  surprising 
relations  to  a  garden  which  an  occasional  apt 
reference  or  illustration  can  bring  out.  More  and 
more  it  is  being  made  the  partner  of  physical 
geography.  In  every  school  it  should  be  the  twin 
of  nature  study  and  usually  the  companion  of 
manual  training.  It  is  easy  to  show  how  much 
we  owe  to  the  husbandman;  how  the  life  of  the 
whole  round  world  is  inter-dependent,  or  in  a  child's 
phraseology,  "hangs  together";  how  tilling  of  the 
soil  is  a  fundamental  necessity.  No  child  who  has 
ever  loved  a  garden  will  despise  the  farmer,  for  he 
has  learned  by  experience  to  respect  manual  labor; 
and  that  brains  and  hands  must  work  together  to 
bring  good  crops. 


38 


CHAPTER  II 

DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  SCHOOL 
GARDENS 


CHAPTER  II 

DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF  SCHOOL 
GARDENS 

"Why  should  you  give  your  pupils  the  benefit  of  a  school  garden? 
Because  it  brings  living  principles  home  to  the  children,  and  school  is 
living — not  a  preparation  for  life.  Because  it  enables  the  children 
to  solve  for  themselves,  under  the  law  of  necessity,  some  of  the  most 
difficult  problems  which  the  school  course  has  to  offer.  .  .  Because 
the  garden  supplies  ideal  conditions  for  cultivating  the  hand  and  the 
heart  as  well  as  the  head." — S.  T.  Palmer. 

"  In  town  schools  the  best  plan  is  to  begin  with  the  school  garden 
and  emphasize  the  aesthetic  side;  then  work  out  to  beautify  the 
city,  and  on  this  basis  work  out  to  the  great  typical  processes  of 
agriculture.  In  rural  schools,  the  most  successful  agricultural  in- 
struction is  that  which  begins  with  the  agricultural  activities  of  the 
local  environment,  and  which  finds  in  these  activities  certain  problems 
which  then  become  subjects  of  investigation,  and  even  experiment 
in  a  school  garden." — B.  M.  Davis. 

SCHOOL  gardens  may  be  regarded  from 
several  points  of  view  and  cultivated  with 
one  or  more  of  several  aims  in  mind  so 
far  as  the  immediate  or  future  good  of  the  child 
is  concerned.  But  whatever  the  special  purpose, 
there  should  be  kept  in  mind  the  far  reaching  in- 
fluences that  will  pervade  a  neighborhood  when  a 
successful  school  garden  so  inspires  the  children 
and  parents  that  little  gardens  in  home  yard  or 
window  box  spring  up  as  restful,  cheerful  bits  of 
4  41 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

color.  These  are  a  bond  of  sympathy  and  pleasure 
among  the  poor,  the  well  to  do  and  the  wealthy. 
There  is  no  hobby  that  may  be  so  inexpensive;  no 
subject  of  conversation  less  likely  to  become  dis- 
agreeably personal;  no  topic  offering  better  oppor- 
tunities of  give  and  take  in  the  matter  of  experience 


Could  You  Do  Better? 


than  that  of  flowers.  So  it  follows  that  a  love  of 
flowers  tends  to  level  class  distinctions;  to  give 
openings  for  real  friendliness  based  upon  mutual 
interests  among  people  whose  business  and  en- 
vironment may  be  vastly  different.  Moreover,  the 
individual  betterment  that  comes  from  any  worthy 
hobby  follows  in  the  wake  of  flower  culture. 

42 


DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Considering  school  gardens  from  the  point  of 
view  of  maintenance,  including  organization  and 
purpose,  they  may  be  divided  into  four  classes: 
(i)  those  maintained  by  individuals,  corporations, 
clubs,  philanthropic  organizations,  playground 
associations,  civic  clubs  and  village  improvement 
societies;  (2)  gardens  supported  by  and  under  the 
control  of  park  commissioners  or  city  recreation 
bureaus*  or  boards  of  public  works;  (3)  those 
maintained  by  school  commissioners,  trustees,  or 
boards  of  education,  in  connection  with  schools, 
whether  as  experiments,  as  features  of  vacation 
schools,  or  as  accepted  and  valuable  parts  of  the 
school  system  for  which  distinct  appropriation  is 
made.  A  fourth  class  might  include  many  exist- 
ing gardens  where  the  experiment  is  maintained 
by  a  combination  of  any  two  of  the  above 
named  agencies,  as  when  land  is  furnished  by 
school  board  or  park  commissioners,  and  means 
for  equipment  are  supplied  by  club  or  private 
subscription. 

In  the  matter  of  organization,  park  or  school 
boards  usually  appoint  the  head  and  assistant 
teachers  of  gardens  under  municipal  control. 
Where  a  club  supports  a  garden,  a  committee  of 
ways  and  means  is  chosen  to  select  the  head 
teacher,  to  whom  is  turned  over  the  entire  re- 
sponsibility of  running  the  garden,  in  either 
case,  reasonable  consideration  should  be  shown 

♦  St.  Louis  Park  Department  Public  Recreation  Commission 
supports  its  children's  gardens. 

43 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

the  head-worker  in  the  garden,  and  deference  paid 
to  her  knowledge  of  the  most  desirable  type  of 
assistant  (training  and  personality  considered) 
that  the  particular  garden  requires. 

One  city  selects  assistants  from  such  of  its 
regular  elementary  grade  teachers  as  are  en- 
rolled upon  the  eligible  list.  It  employs  ^hem 
in  groups  of  two  or  more  to  serve  in  thegardens 
either  in  the  afternoon  or  forenoon  for  five  days 
each  week  from  July  to  September  and  pays  them 
$12  per  week.  The  gardens  are  also  open  for 
work  after  school  hours  and  on  Saturdays  in 
June  and  September.  No  insect  study  or  other 
allied  work  with  garden  material  is  required; 
the  lessons  are  confined  to  elementary  gardening. 
The  teachers  must  have  had  at  least  one  season 
under  experienced  supervision  in  growing  the  crops 
that  the  children  will  raise.  These  gardens  have 
a  floral  border  filled  by  the  overflow  from  the, 
city's  park  supply  but  with  room  enough  left  for 
the  children  to  grow  a  few  plants  as  their  contribu- 
tion to  the  beauty  of  the  whole.  The  individual 
plots  or  farms  stand  for  individual  care  and  rights, 
— even  to  the  right  of  carelessness  as  an  instructive 
example.  The  border  demands  of  the  little  citizen 
his  or  her  share  of  responsibility  for  the  commu- 
nity's standard  of  order,  beauty  and  co-operation. 

In  cities  where  there  are  a  large  number  of 
gardens,  often  of  various  types,  an  inspector, 
supervisor  or  curator  of  gardens  is  appointed, 
with  assistants  in  each  garden  to  carry  out  plans 

44 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

and  instructions.  Such  assistants  may  be  grade 
or  special  teachers,  janitors,  gardeners,  or  even 
some  of  the  more  capable  children  who  are  selected 
to  have  an  oversight  over  their  mates  and  feel 
highly  honored  by  the  titles  of  section  leader, 
tool  keeper,  head  gardener,  monitor,  or  even 
constable,  and  are  held  responsible  for  the  orderly 
behavior  as  well  as  for  the  work  of  their  charges. 
The  following  report  gives  an  illustration  of  active 
co-operation  by  the  children  in  the  supervision  of 
the  garden  work. 

Secretary's  Report 

Minneapolis,  Minn. 
April  20,  1909 
To  the  Honorable  Members  of  B  Room: 

Pierce  School. 
1  have  the  honor  to  transmit  the  following  report. 

The  B  Room  held  its  first  business  meeting  on 
tuesday  April  20,  1909  at  9:  a.  m.  Our  principal, 
Mrs.  Mary  D.  La  Rue  presided  over  the  meeting,  and 
the  following  ofiicers  were  elected  by  ballots. 

Henry  Johnson  was  elected  superintendent  of  the 
garden.  To  assist  him,  the  following  eight  section 
superintendents  were  chosen;  Blanche  Uptergrove, 
Lewin  Olsen,  Clarence  Hansen,  Mary  Falconer,  Bennie 
Anderson,  Henry  Johnson,  Helmer  Hammer,  William 
Uptergrove  and  Abner  Anderson.  Ruth  McDonald 
was  elected  Treasurer.  Mildred  Formoe  was  elected 
Secretary.  Special  work  was  given  to  each  officer,  who 
has  the  power  to  [choose]  the  helpers  that  he  may  need. 

Respectfully  Submitted 
Mildred  Formoe 

Secretary 
Age  1 2  years.  B  6  Pierce 

45 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

In  very  many  cases,  the  assistants  are  regular 
teachers  who  volunteer  during  the  spring  term  for 
the  extra  hours  of  work  in  their  desire  to  hasten 
the  day  when  the  school  garden  shall  become  an 
established  feature  of  their  school.  Where  a 
garden  is  part  of  a  school  a  principal  will  often 
supervise  the  work  and  arrange  that  each  grade 
teacher  shall  have  time  to  take  her  children  to 
the  garden  for  an  hour  or  so  in  the  course  of 
each  week;  while,  if  the  garden  is  carried  through 
the  summer,  a  school  teacher  (sometimes  the 
principal)  is  hired  for  the  vacation  period.  Some- 
times the  garden  may  be  cared  for  during  the 
summer  by  the  janitor  or  by  a  committee  of  the 
children  who  remain  in  town. 
^  Turning  to  the  kinds  of  gardens  considered 
according  to  environment  and  purpose,  and  fol- 
lowing the  analogy  of  flowers,  they  may  be  divided 
into  two  orders  with  several  varieties  in  each; 
namely,  (I)  The  urban  or  city  school  garden, 
answering  to  the  needs  of  towns  and  cities,  and 
(II)  the  suburban  or  rural,  answering  to  the  needs 
of  small  villages  and  country  districts,  the  two 
classes  being  subdivided  according  to  the  particu- 
lar object  in  mind  in  the  laying  out  of  each. 
For  instance,  gardens  aiming  especially  at  school- 
ground  decoration  would  occur  in  both  main 
divisions  in  connection  with  both  city  and  rural 
schools.  And  again,  gardens  for  experimental 
purposes,  designed  to  make  clear  the  use  of 
fertilizers,   the  development  or  deterioration  of 

46 


DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

crops,  and  like  work,  would  have  a  place  under 
rural  school  gardens  and  also,  to  some  extent,  in 
almost  any  well-conducted  city  garden.  The 
growing  of  vegetables  or  flowers  or  of  both  as  the 
child's  very  own  property  would  enter  into  nearly 
all  varieties  of  gardens;  consequently,  this  sim- 
plest and  most  frequent  form  of  school  gardening 
may  be  taken  as  a  "fundamental  type,"  just  as 
there  is  at  the  other  end  of  the  scale  the  rarely 
attained  and,  at  first,  seemingly  costly  ideal,  a 
"model  school  garden."  The  latter  is  not  costly, 
however,  if  measured  by  effectiveness  of  results, 
and  the  education  that  can  be  accomplished 
through  it. 

The  ideal  school  garden  includes  the  formal  or 
ornamental  garden  that  should  be  the  setting  of 
every  model  school  building;  large  and  separate 
playgrounds  for  boys  and  girls,  with  screened 
and  vine-covered  outbuildings,  where  necessary; 
a  large  garden,  having  individual  and  co-operative 
flower  and  vegetable  plots,  also  some  for  obser- 
vation or  experiment  ("sample  plots,"  they  are 
frequently  called),  and  larger  areas  for  forestry, 
grapery,  nursery  and  the  growing  of  small  fruits. 
There  should  be  hot  and  cold  frames  for  forcing, 
and  a  small  greenhouse.  Most  important  of  all, 
there  should  be  a  controllable  water  supply  and, 
if  possible,  a  basin  or  pond  for  aquatic  life.  An 
equipment  of  tools  and  a  toolhouse  are  necessary, 
and  an  arbor  should  be  provided  which  may  also 
be  used  as  an  outdoor  lecture  room  or  for  shelter 

47 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

from  sudden  showers.  Sun  dial,  weather  vane 
and  rain  gauge,  together  with  barometer  and 
thermometer  for  daily  observations  should  be 
at  hand.  To  be  complete,  the  model  garden 
should  have  a  suitable  place  for  storing  fertilizers, 
seeds  and  garden  requisites,  and  even  a  small 
suite  of  household  rooms  with  lecture  room  and 
laboratory  for  carrying  on  the  home  laboratory 


Housekeeping  Room,  DeWitt  Clinton  Park,  New  York  City 

and  lecture  work  for  which  the  garden  furnishes 
both  material  and  opportunity.* 

This  may  be  ideal  and  rarely  attainable  at  the 
start.     It  is  often  better  to  work  up  to  this  com- 

*  DeWitt  Clinton  Park  School  Farm  Garden  has  such  a  suite  of 
rooms,  including  those  for  tools  and  for  laboratory  work,  in  the 
basement  of  the  pergola  that  bounds  the  garden  on  the  Hudson 
River  side.  In  these,  elementary  lessons  in  housewifery  as  well  as 
in  agriculture  are  conducted. 

48 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

plete  garden;  to  have  it  built  up  gradually  by  the 
children  and  their  interested  associates  and  older 
friends.  Yet  in  cities  where  there  is  a  system  of 
gardens  it  is  well  to  have  one  such  as  a  model  of 
attainment. 

At  the  present  time  there  are,  as  has  been  said, 
school  gardens  of  many  varying  kinds  carried  on 
for  different  immediate  ends  though  with  the  one 
underlying  and  universal  purpose  of  helping  the 
children  to  an  all  round  development.  Some  of 
these  gardens  will  be  briefly  sketched.  It  is 
probably  true  that  the  mental  picture  which  the 
term  "school  garden"  most  frequently  calls  up  is 
that  of  a  plot  of  ground  laid  out  in  small  individual 
beds  where  the  common  vegetables,  together  with 
one  or  two  varieties  of  flowers,  are  grown; 
and  larger  areas  for  flowers  and  observation,  or 
sample  plots,  on  which  are  grown  various  plants 
including  the  common  troublesome  garden  weeds. 
In  such  a  garden  the  children  may  learn  the  joy 
of  individual  ownership  and  of  co-operative  or 
group  work  as  well.  They  will  at  the  same  time, 
through  sharing  in  the  work  on  the  larger  plots, 
become  familiar  with  a  wider  range  of  plant  life 
than  that  which  could  be  grown  on  their  own 
small  plots.  Such  a  mental  picture  may  have  for 
its  setting  the  congested  quarter  of  a  great  city, 
a  bit  of  a  public  park  or  playground,  a  part  of 
town  or  village  schoolyard,  or  it  may  be  an  isolated 
vacant  lot  transformed. 

To  know  how  to  plan,  to  care  for  and  conduct 
49 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

such  a  garden  requires  the  fundamental  knowl- 
edge necessary  to  success  in  carrying  on  any  kind 
of  a  school  garden.  For  this  reason,  and  because 
it  is  more  likely  to  be  the  sort  of  garden  attempted 
in  any  locality  as  an  initial  experiment,  it  is  here 
taken  as  the  basic  type,  and  to  it  and  the  work 


"Little   Brother  Helps 


that  may  be  centered  in  it,  the  greater  number  of 
the  following  chapters  are  devoted.  One  may  fmd 
such  gardens  in  the  east  and  south,  in  our  middle 
and  western  states,  in  Canada  and  in  the  West  In- 
dies, though  in  the  last  the  nature  of  the  crops  will 
vary  considerably  from  the  uniformity  common  on 
the  continent.     Its  plots  may  be  tiny  or  big,  its 

50 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

equipment  small  or  large,  the  scope  of  its  work  nar- 
row or  wide,  its  quality  and  quantity  graded  or  un- 
graded; but  as  far  as  it  goes,  its  teaching  and  ex- 
perience are  fundamental,  whether  for  teacher  or 
child.  So  to  this  "fundamental  type"  we  give  par 
excellence  the  name  "  school  garden,"  because  in  the 
mind  of  psychologist,  educator  and  teacher,  it  is  a 
school  in  which  to  cultivate,  to  develop  children 
quite  as  much  as  or  more  than  to  teach  them 
how  to  grow  flowers  or  to  mature  vegetables. 

This  fundamental  type  offers  the  largest  cultural 
development  for  children  in  the  smallest  area.  It 
demands  of  the  teacher  either  little  or  much  train- 
ing, according  to  the  scope  of  work  carried  on  in  it. 
Nowhere  is  less  previous  experience  required  ex- 
cept in  the  tiny  posy  garden  or  where,  as  in  some 
formal  gardens,  the  work  of  teacher  and  children 
is  confined  to  a  very  small  amount  of  supervised 
planting,  whether  of  bulbs  or  seeds,  and  to  the 
necessary  later  care  in  watering  and  in  keeping  the 
soil  loose.  From  the  likeness  of  much  of  the  work 
in  the  "fundamental  type"  to  truck  gardening, 
and  from  the  children's  delight  in  being  known  as 
little  farmers  owning  their  small  farms,  this  basic 
type  might  be  called  not  only  the  "school  garden," 
but  the  "school  garden  farm."* 

♦  This  term  would  be  equally  applicable  to  the  usual  school 
garden  in  cities  and  to  the  extensive  school  garden  tract  of  five  acres 
or  more  which  Minnesota  requires  under  the  Putnam  Bill,  or  to  such 
gardens  of  lesser  area,  as  would  be  advisable  in  our  agricultural 
states.  The  difference  in  size  would  be  suggested  by  the  locality 
mentioned  or  by  the  context  in  which  the  term  occurred. 

5« 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

School  gardens  might  then  be  divided  into 

I.  Urban  or  City  Gardens,  including 

1.  The  school  garden  farm  (the  one  usually  adopted 

for  congested  districts). 

2.  The  garden  for  school-ground  decoration. 

3.  Gardens  for  special  purposes;  such  as 

a.  The  domestic  science  or  kitchen  garden. 

b.  Gardens    for    germination    or     forcing 

purposes. 

c.  Gardens  for  nursery  or  forestry  purposes. 

d.  Botanical    gardens    laid    out    from    the 

standpoint  of 

(i)  Plant  families. 
(2)  Commercial   or   home   eco- 
nomics. 

e.  Exchange  gardens  as  clearing  houses  for 

surplus  plants. 

f.  Training  gardens  or  those  of  considerable 

size  where  stress  is  particularly  laid 
on  large  individual  plots  and  the 
training  of  their  owners  to  truck 
farming,  even  on  a  commercial  scale. 

g.  Gardens    for    defective    or    delinquent 

children, 
h.  Gardens  for  other  specialized  aims, 
whatever  they  may  be;  as,  for  ex- 
ample, for  growing  material  to 
illustrate  special  subjects,  or  for 
children  in  the  kindergarten,  etc. 

I.  Suburban  or  Rural  Gardens. 

1.  The  school  garden  farm. 

2.  Gardens  for  school-ground  decoration. 

$2 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

3.  Trial  gardens  or  gardens  for  experimental  work 

with  plants  or  crops.  (These  are  often 
coupled  with  No.  i.) 

4.  "Topographical"  or  chart  gardens,  leading  di- 

rectly to  a  wild  flower  garden  or  to  school- 
ground  decoration  or  to  the  school  garden 
farm. 

The  classification  into  "group"  and  "individ- 
ual" gardens  is  not  given  here  because  by  far  the 
greater  number  of  gardens  in  some  measure  com- 
bine the  two,  and  because  the  term  is  a  distinction 
in  method  of  work  rather  than  in  character  of 
gardens. 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  complete  outfit  of  the 
ideal  garden  to  taking  up  the  pavement  in  a  school 
yard  and  making  2x2  foot  beds  for  tiny  farms. 
But,  as  one  cannot  expect  completeness,  so  one 
may  hope  to  avoid  such  impoverishment  as  the 
2x2  foot  plots  would  imply.  If  you  cannot  do  any 
better,  begin  with  the  2x2  foot  bed  and  comfort 
yourself  with  the  thought  of  the  lesser  sum  of  money 
needed  and  the  probability  that  the  question  of  soil 
will  resolve  itself  into  buying  a  few  bushels  or  at 
most  a  few  loads  of  good  garden  soil,  such  as  would 
be  necessary  in  the  case  of  a  roof  garden.*  In 
cities,  parts,  so  to  speak,  of  the  ideal  garden  may 
be  scattered  judiciously  among  the  various  schools, 
in  their  yards  or  on  nearby  vacant  lots.  For 
instance,  one  school  may  have  only  the  garden 

♦  A  load  of  earth  or  gravel  is  one  cubic  yard,  estimated  at  1 50 
shovelfuls. 

53 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

for  school-ground  decoration,  very  likely  of  the 
formal  sort.  Here,  where  plant  lines  must  har- 
monize with  architectural  lines  and  a  color  scheme 
of  continual  bloom  be  carried  out,  the  training 
of  a  landscape  gardener,  or  the  advice  of  an  ex- 
pert, is  necessary.     But  if  the  outline  of  such  a 


Vacant  Lot  in  Louisville.     The  First  Planting 


garden  be  prepared,  the  teacher  can  follow  it; 
the  children  can  help  in  cultivating  the  hedges, 
trees  and  flowers.  The  garden  becomes  an  object 
lesson  and  pleasure  to  the  neighborhood  and  of 
permanent  and  increasing  value  to  the  school. 
To  the  children,  it  will  be  a  means  of  development 
in  more  than  one  direction. 

54 


DIFFERENT    KINDS    OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

A  pretty  story  is  told  in  connection  with 
the  formal  garden*  of  the  Watterson  School, 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  At  the  third  clipping  of  the 
privet  hedge,  the  cuttings  were  taken  into  the 
schoolroom  and  the  children  were  asked  if  they 


Vacant  Lot  in  LouibViLLE  (see  opposite  page)  After  Several 
Seasons'  Planting 


cared  enough  for  their  hedge  to  think  that  other 

,  ♦  The  formal  decoration  follows  the  vertical  and  horizontal  lines 
of  ornament  and  the  color  scheme  of  the  school  building;  vines 
are  planted  only  in  the  deep  angles  of  the  building  with  the  intent 
to  so  train  them  as  to  make  a  solid  band  of  green  about  the  base  of 
the  building  up  to  the  first  horizontal  lines  of  white  stone  trimming. 
Stiff  plants  and  trees  of  upright  growth  carry  out  the  vertical  lines 
while  the  red  and  white  in  the  building  is  repeated  in  the  tan  covered 
playground  and  in  the  continuous  bloom  of  pink  and  white  flowers. 

55 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

children  in  a  distant  school  building  would  also 
like  to  own  one.  They  were  quite  sure  that  a 
hedge  like  theirs  would  be  much  appreciated. 
The  curator  of  the  school  gardens  then  explained 
that  if  the  Watterson  children  were  willing,  besides 
giving  the  cuttings,  to  do  a  little  work  for  those 
distant  schoolmates,  the  latter  could  have  a  hedge. 
They  cheerfully  agreed  to  help.  For  busy  work, 
they  stripped  the  leaves.  Then,  they  gathered 
the  cuttings  into  groups  of  twos  and  threes,  of 
fives  and  tens,  and  then  into  fifties.  These 
large  bundles  were  sent  to  another  school  where 
the  children  would  lend  their  cold  frames  to 
**bank"  or  house  the  cuttings  during  the  winter 
and  to  give  them  an  early  start  so  that  the  new 
hedge  would  be  ready  as  soon  as  possible  to 
make  rapid  and  sturdy  growth.  Some  of  the 
children  in  the  Watterson  school  were  given  the 
stripped  leaves,  with  which  they  were  told  to  lay 
out  on  their  desks  designs  of  any  shape.  Later, 
there  was  a  little  nature  study  talk  upon  the  con- 
struction of  the  leaf  and  how  it  serves  the  parent 
plant,  and  attention  was  called  to  the  difference  in 
color  of  the  upper  and  under  sides.  The  children 
were  asked  to  remake  their  designs  using  the  two 
shades  for  color  effect.  They  were  promised  that 
they  would  be  shown  how  the  young  plants  had  lain 
dormant  through  the  winter  and  how  they  started 
into  life  in  the  early  spring,  and  were  told  that 
they  could  visit  the  other  school  to  see  the  hedge 
which  they  had  prepared  for  its  boys  and  girls. 

56 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

The  Story  suggests  gardens  for  special  purposes; 
as  for  preparation  for  truck  farming  (''training 
gardens");  for  exchange  of  plants;  for  forcing; 
for  nursery  or  forestry  purposes;  or  the  kitchen 
garden  which  might  be  attached  to  a  school  where 
the  cooking  courses  were  particularly  good.  In 
connection  with  any  of  these  gardens,  there  might 
be  a  few  flowers  or  a  floraLborder  so  that  the  work 
could  be  partly  individual,  partly  co-operative. 
In  the  kitchen  garden  there  could  "be  in  addition, 
observation  plots  showing  sweet  herbs,  grains,  flax, 
hemp  and  cotton,  or  the  raw  products  necessary 
for  the  commonest  household  tasks.  Observation 
plots  on  a  large  numerical  scale  are  necessary  in 
botanical  gardens  laid  out  to  show  the  classifica- 
tion of  plants  by  families  or  according  to  their  in- 
dustrial or  commercial  uses.  Here  again,  plots 
can  be  apportioned  to  individual  children,  and 
special  cultural  directions  may  be  given  to  each 
when  necessary.  The  exchange  garden  above  re- 
ferred to  is  carried  on  perhaps  as  much  for  the 
benefit  of  the  parents  as  for  the  little  ones.  It 
is  a  central  garden  to  which  men,  women  and 
children  can  bring  their  extra  or  duplicate  plants 
and  exchange  them  for  those  of  which  others  had 
a  surplus.  In  Cleveland  such  a  garden  made  in 
one  year  20,000  exchanges.  That  means  not  only 
a  good  deal  of  pleasure,  but  much  return  for  little 
money. 

No  city  offers  better  opportunity  to  study  the 
various  kinds  of  gardens  than  Cleveland  with  its 
5  57 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

nine  school  gardens  and  the  stress  it  lays  upon 
school-ground  decoration.  Miss  Miller,  in  the 
Watterson  and  the  new  Technical  High  Schools, 
gives  two  excellent  examples  of  formal  planting, 
and  about  many  of  the  older  school  buildings,  some 
of  which  present  rather  hard  propositions  for  the 
gardener,  there  are  good  decorative  effects.  Of 
the  nine  gardens,  Rosedale*  alone  approaches  com- 
pleteness. Among  the  others,  for  lack  of  space, 
different  kinds  of  gardening  are  divided.  In  addi- 
tion, Cleveland  has  gardens  on  vacant  lots  and 
one,  the  Training  Garden,  conducted  by  the  Home 
Gardening  Association.  At  present,  the  work  in 
the  last  named  is  divided  between  the  junior  and 
senior  boys.  It  is,  however,  the  intention  of  the 
association  to  develop  a  graded  course  of  three  or 
four  years,  so  that  a  boy  may  here  or  on  a  farm, 
which  will  later  be  connected  with  the  garden,  learn 
enough  agriculture  to  earn  his  living  as  a  truck 
gardener  or  be  inspired  to  fmd  his  way  to  an  agri- 
cultural college,  if  he  wishes  to  study  general  or 
special  farming.  Already  the  association  and  its 
friends  have  rewarded  one  boy  by  a  scholarship  at 
the  Wooster  State  Agricultural  College  and  expect 
to  appoint  him  assistant  in  the  Training  Garden 
because  being  city  born  and  bred  yet  trained 
in  agriculture,  he  can  attract  and  teach  city 
boys  effectively. 

A  celebrated  physician  and  neurologist  tells  us 
that  exercise  of  the  muscles  is  absolutely  necessary 

*  See  Appendix  A,  Note  3. 

58 


^         OF   THE         /^ 

UNIVERSl-^v 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

to  develop  a  healthy  brain,  to  prevent  imbecility, 
"for  all  thought  has  a  motor  side  or  element."* 
it  is  upon  this  demonstrated  proposition  that  the 
educational  value  of  manual  training  is  based. 
It  cannot  be  too  often  repeated  that  the  brain 
should  be  trained  in  childhood  not  only  by  intel- 
lectual processes  but  by  the  development  of  the 
smaller  muscles,  especially  those  of  the  hands,  by 
the  constant  requisition  upon  sensory  and  motor 
nerves,  and  by  the  constant  quickening  of  sense 
perception.  The  result  is  intellectual  power.  It 
is  psychologically  sound,  then,  to  propose  hand 
training  for  those  mentally  deficient,  provided 
that  what  is  proposed  is  within  the  grasp  of  their 
low  mentality. 

With  some  imbecile  children  tools  might  be 
dangerous  to  themselves  or  to  their  fellows;  with 
those  less  mentally  deficient,  the  simplest  forms 
of  manual  training  may  be  undertaken  provided 
they  require  only  such  amount  of  thought  or 
work  as  shall  gently  and  gradually  stimulate  the 
brain.  Simple  garden  work,  varied  in  require- 
ments from  cleaning  up  paths,  picking  flowers 
for  bouquets  or  spent  blossoms  lest  they  go  to 
seed,  and  tasks  as  simple,  up  through  the  scale  to 
more  exact  or  difficult  duties,  offers  hand  training 
and  gives  pleasurable  hours  of  work  which  may 
be  divided  into  periods  suited  to  the  individual 
strength  and  fitful  moods  of  the  feeble  minded. 
Thus  in  schools  where  the  mentally  deficient  are 

♦  Sir  James  Crichton- Brown. 
59 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

segregated,  the  school  garden  may  supply  the 
place  of  manual  training.  Its  plants  must  be 
hardy  and  of  simple  culture,  and  its  system  and 
method  of  work  very  elastic.  Moreover,  its  pro- 
ducts will  fit  in  at  the  noon  luncheon  which  such 
schools  frequently  provide,  for  the  children  can 


Copyright,  iqoq,  Underwood  &»  Underwood 

Crippled  Children  Farming  in  the  Heart  of  New  York  City. 


supply  soup  greens  and  salads,  and  brighten  both 
table  and  schoolroom  with  their  flowers.  The 
garden  work  will  provide  health-giving  physical 
exercise  out  of  doors  that  can  be  regulated  to 
individual  needs. 

To  still  another  class  of  children  largely  cut 
60 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

off  from  normal  living,  the  school  garden  comes 
as  a  boon.  In  one  large  city,  a  certain  number 
of  plots  were  divided  off  for  a  group  of  deaf  and 
dumb  boys  from  a  public  institution.  These  lads, 
from  twelve  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  were  given 
plots  10  X  45  feet.  They  cultivated  the  same  crops 
as  boys  who  had  worked  one  or  two  years  and  had 
risen  to  the  second  and  third  grades  in  the  garden 
work.  The  asylum  boys  took  their  instructions 
from  the  blackboard,  found  their  tools  by  number 
in  the  toolhouse,  and  went  about  their  work  in 
happy  silence.  An  occasional  gesture  or  simple 
demonstration  from  the  monitor  who  supervised 
their  section  was  all  they  needed.  Their  beds 
presented  a  higher  average  in  appearance  than 
those  of  any  other  class.  The  class  for  cripples, 
at  DeWitt  Clinton  Park,  New  York,  has  already 
been  alluded  to. 

Here  also  may  be  mentioned  gardens  maintained 
in  connection  with  detention  schools,  or  homes  for 
morally  delinquent  children.  In  the  former,  the 
garden  must  be  conducted  on  very  simple  lines, 
because  the  children  stay  for  short  periods  only. 
Sometimes  there  is  a  long  period  of  waiting  for 
suitable  conveyance  to  the  home  or  prison  to 
which  they  have  been  sentenced.  During  this 
time  the  boys  can  cultivate  the  garden.  Those 
who  have  had  such  an  opportunity  seem  to  enjoy 
the  work  and  are  loath  to  leave  it.  One  small  boy, 
so  repeatedly  up  for  punishment  that  it  was  known 
his  sentence  would  be  severe,  made  such  a  decided 

6i 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

improvement  in  manners  and  showed  so  strong  a 
love  for  the  garden  work,  that,  as  he  was  about  to 
be  taken  to  court,  his  teacher  sHpped  into  his 
hand  a  bit  of  paper  and  bade  him  give  it  to  the 
judge.  It  read  "This  is  my  best  digger,"  and  bore 
the  teacher's  signature.  The  judge  upon  weigh- 
ing its  mute  appeal  sentenced  the  boy,  not  to  the 
reformatory  among  all  sorts  of  criminals,  but  to  a 
farm  for  refractory  boys,  where  the  environment 
was  better  and  safer  than  his  own  home.  When 
last  heard  from  he  was  a  happy,  contented  little 
fellow  striving  to  deserve  the  opportunity  to  live 
and  work  upon  a  big  farm.  It  was  Dr.  Hodge  of 
Clark  University,  I  think,  who  once  said  that  the 
quickest  way  he  knew  to  keep  our  prisons  and 
reformatories  empty  was  to  give  every  boy  a  piece 
of  ground,  however  small,  to  cultivate  for  ten 
years  of  his  boyhood.  Last  summer,  in  Provi- 
dence, an  incorrigible  truant  had  one  of  the  prize 
gardens. 

Under  gardens  for  special  purposes,  one  might 
mention  those  in  connection  with  da^^camps  for 
tuberculous,  children,  such  as  the  one  conducted 
during  the  summer  of  1909  in  connection  with 
Bellevue  Hospital,  New  York.  Each  day  some 
fifty  children  were  gathered  there  on  the  floating 
hospital  boat  moored  to  the  dock,  with  a  gangway 
crossing  to  that  part  of  the  hospital  yard  which 
formerly  held  the  dump  heap.  Thanks  to  the 
interest  of  the  International  School  Farm  League, 
the  Woman's  Auxiliary  of  the  hospital,  and  the 

62 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

authorities  of  the  latter,  who  gave  the  use  of  the 
ground,  a  school  garden  was  laid  out  with  some 
fifty  little  4x8  beds  for  vegetables  and  flowers, 
and  space  for  more  flowers  in  the  borders.  Under 
the  guidance  of  a  skilful  teacher,  who  had  been 
trained  in  the  DeWitt  Clinton  Park  garden,  the 


Copyright,  iqoo,  by  Vndrruood  <S-  Viidmcooil 
GaKDHN    a  I     BhLLHVUE     HOSPIIAL.    NhW    YoRK    Ci  1 V 

children  were  allowed  to  cultivate  their  plots  from 
half  an  hour  to  an  hour  each  day  according  to  their 
strength.  With  such  occupation  the  hours  lost 
some  of  their  monotony,  were  happier,  and  brought 
better  health  and  more  resources  and  pleasures, 
not  only  for  the  present  but  for  future  days. 
As  in  the  city,  school  gardens  of  different  kinds 
63 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

may  be  separated  or  may  overlap,  or  be  found 
represented  in  a  large  model  garden,  so,  in  rural 
districts,  there  may  be  combination  or  singleness 
of  plan.  The  school  garden  farm  emphatically 
has  its  place  in  manufacturing  towns,  in  many 
villages,  and  in  distinctly  rural  communities.  In 
the  country  school,  except  for  the  work  of  the 
youngest  children,  the  school  farm  of  the 
city  will  undergo  modifications  in  order  to 
adapt  it  to  the  practical  needs  of  a  farming 
community.  These  modifications  will  be  treated 
under  the  discussion  of  experimentation  or  trial 
gardens. 

In  the  country,  school-ground  decoration  will 
not  be  of  the  formal  kind  frequent  in  cities.  Where 
the  schoolhouse  is  situated  on  the  roadside,  the 
garden  should  aim  to  become  a  part  of  the  land- 
scape, and  the  main  lines  should  take  their  em- 
phasis from  the  natural  contour  of  the  land  and 
its  salient  features.  Whenever  the  school  is  in 
a  village  or  in  the  open  country,  the  decorative 
scheme  of  the  yard  through  which  the  building  is 
approached  should  be  founded  upon  the  ABC 
of  landscape  gardening;  it  should  avoid  a  spotty 
appearance  by, 

A.  Keeping  lawn  centers  open,  hence  restful. 

B.  Planting  in  masses  so  as  to  get  large  effects; 

and  by  careful  arrangement  of  foreground 
and  of  color  and  texture  of  foliage,  and 
avoiding  'Tegginess"  or  bare,  scraggly 
trunks  and  stems,  securing  tones  of  deep- 
64 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

ening  color  and  harmonious   blending  in 
shape,  size  and  texture  of  leafage. 
C.  Avoiding  straight  lines  which  have  no  place 
except   in   formal    gardening.     Curves   in 
paths  and  roadways  should  seem  to  have 
a  reason  for  some  bend,  though  it  be  only  a 
group  of  bushes  or  a  tree. 
Sometimes  the  easiest  and  most  tactful  way 
to  secure  a  school  garden  in  a  remote  community 
is  to  begin  with  a  topographical  or  chart  garden; 
that  is,  one  based  on  exploration  of  the  surround- 
ing country.     Such  would  naturally  lead  up  to 
interest  in  a  wild  flower  garden  and  to  the  decora- 
tion of  the  school  grounds.     Where  the  school- 
house  is  an  ugly  building  on  a  small,  unsightly 
lot,  and  where  farmers  have  no  use  for  "  fads,"  the 
topographical  garden  may  be  the  only  one  possible. 
it  may  be  well,  therefore,  to  make  very  clear  what 
is  meant,  especially  as  through  such  means  a  very 
conservative  community  may  sometimes  be  led 
to  take  a  lively  interest  not  only  in  improving  the 
school  premises,  but  in  permitting  an  experiment 
in  vegetable  gardening,  which  later  may  prove  a 
boon  to  both  adults  and  children. 

Most  children  are  glad  to  tell  you  where  a 
unique  tree,  a  noticeable  bush,  or  rare  flower  is  to 
be  found.  With  the  schoolhouse  as  a  starting 
point,  map  out  the  way  to  find  it.  Gradually 
enlarge  the  drawing  to  indicate  the  contour  of  the 
land  as  the  children  describe  road,  hill,  swamp  or 
plain.     Mark    upon    it    the   noticeable    trees   or 

65 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

houses  or  even  big  rocks  or  boulders.  Later  fill 
in  the  map  so  as  to  suggest  the  kinds  of  growth 
in  the  bordering  woods  or  meadows,  first  the 
larger  sorts  and  then  the  smaller,  gathering  as  you 
chart  them  topics  for  talks  to  which  a  part  of  one 
day  each  week  may  be  given.  At  these  times,  the 
teacher  should  help  the  children  sort  out  the 
knowledge  which  each  has  contributed  and  should 
amplify  and  intensify  it  for  all.  Some  of  the 
children  will  fetch  specimens.  With  a  little  en- 
couragement, they  will  be  willing  to  bring  enough 
earth,  if  necessary,  to  start  a  wild  flower  garden, 
like  the  one  at  the  George  Putnam  school  pre- 
viously mentioned  as  the  first  in  America,  or 
the  10  X  100  foot  strip  of  wild  flower  garden 
at  the  Cobbett  School,  Lynn,  Mass.,  where  several 
hundred  shrubs,  woody  vines,  ferns  and  herbs 
are  gathered.  "  From  hepatica  and  bloodroot 
to  aster  and  witch  hazel  they  flourish  in  their 
season."  Some  of  the  rarer  plants  were  brought 
or  sent  from  central  New  York,  from  New  Hamp- 
shire and  from  distant  parts  of  Massachusetts. 

However,  one  need  not  in  any  rural  district 
go  far  to  find  suitable  material  for  fern  or  wild 
flower  border,  for  shrubbery  or  for  trees  fit  to  be 
transplanted.  There  are  few  plants  that,  like 
the  arbutus  and  fringed  gentian,  rebel  at  civiliza- 
tion, and  many  that  increase  in  size  and  bril- 
liancy under  cultivation.  That  they  are  hardy 
and  persistent  when  once  rooted,  twenty  years' 
experience   in   gardening    in    a    city  back  yard 

66 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

has  proved.*  Dutchman's  breeches  (dicentra), 
hepatica,  spring  beauty,  anemone,  jack-in-the- 
pulpit,  columbine,  adder's  tongue,  asters,  golden 
rod,  violets  of  several  kinds,  the  rose  marsh- 
mallow  and  the  wild  sunflower  all  bear  trans- 
planting and  cultivation.  Raspberry  vines  and 
blackberry  bushes  can  be  utilized  for  the  garden 
as    well    as    wild    grape,    woodbine   or    Virginia 


Frrnnrr'^^-' 

"  ^  .i 

^. 

* 

:     J 

f*. ' 

--y^amt^-<y-.^ , 

'.  ^^-   - 

m 

'i^ 

i^^ 

w 

KocK  Garden,  Audubon  School,  Dubuque,  Iowa 

creeper,  bittersweet,  clematis,  and  some  of  the 
other  native  vines.  The  hobble  bush  has  beauty 
of  blossom  and  leafage.  Thorn  apple,  flowering 
dogwood,  the  elders,  wild  barberry  and  bob 
sumac    provide   good    shrubbery  and   several   of 

♦  Many  of  the  early  spring  plants  were  given  warm  and  sunny 
places  in  winter  and  early  spring,  and  sheltered  by  the  dense  shade 
of  grape  vines  in  the  summer  and  early  fall. 

67 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS  , 

them  furnish  rich  color  and  effective  outlines  in 
the  fall  and  winter.  The  mountain  ash  and  the 
white  birch  are  treasures,  and  many  a  seedling 
elm,  oak  or  maple  is  easily  found. 

In  some  way  establish  a  bond  of  interest 
between  the  school  and  the  home  growing  of 
flowers.  Start  a  plant  or  two  in  the  schoolroom 
window.*  One  teacher  in  a  rural  school  began 
his  flower  garden  with  a  single  fuchsia  and  in  two 
or  three  years  had  a  large  family  of  plants  includ- 
ing many  grandchildren  of  the  original  flower. 
In  fact,  that  family  became  so  numerous  under 
judicious  slippings  that  its  descendants  were 
farmed  out  or  given  for  adoption  into  the  homes 
of  grateful  children  who  frequently  offered  slips 
of  other  flowers  in  return.  To  ask  for  a  slip  is  in 
many  communities  a  most  acceptable  compliment 
to  the  successful  grower  of  house  plants.  Many 
of  the  begonias  are  easily  propagated  from  pieces 
of  stem  or  leaf,  and  their  bright  colors  and  unique 
leafage  make  them  universally  pleasing.  For 
outdoor  work  about  the  school  ask  for  roots  of 
lilac,  forsythia  or  yellow  flowering  willow,  flower- 
ing almond  or  flowering  quince,  bridal  wreath  or 
peonies. 

Strive  for  a  clean  school  yard  as  you  would  for 
a  clean  schoolroom,  but  do  not  stop  there.    Beauty 

*  At  the  least,  one  can  have  that  always  interesting  thing,  an 
eggshell  garden,  for  it  needs  but  a  few  seeds,  one  or  two  of  them 
planted  in  each  shell  that  has  been  filled  with  a  little  rich  soil.  Later 
the  seedlings  may  be  transplanted  into  the  school  or  home  garden. 

68 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

has  its  moral  effect  on  a  child.  It  is  useless 
to  expect  untarnished  morality  from  children 
whose  parents  provide  ramshackle  outbuildings 
and  schools  uninteresting  and  repellent  outside 
and  in,  where  no  playgrounds  exist  and  where  no 
provision  is  made  to  keep  investigating  minds 
safely  busy  when  not  occupied  with  lessons.  Clothe 
your  outbuildings  with  vines,  screen  them  with 
groups  of  trees,  plant  your  grounds  with  things 
that  invite  the  children  to  note  their  growth 
or  to  enjoy  their  welcome  shade.  Make  school 
a  delightful  place  in  which  to  linger  because  it 
has  so  many  charming  interests.  Childish  activity 
whether  of  mind  or  body  needs  direction.  As  in 
the  childhood  of  the  race  morality  was  an  un- 
known thing,  so  too  in  childhood,  some  of  the  evils 
that  we  most  deplore  are  at  certain  ages  largely 
the  outburst  of  the  investigating  spirit  spending 
itself  upon  what  is  near  at  hand  in  default  of 
better,  happier  things  with  which  to  fill  otherwise 
vacant  moments. 

No  scheme  or  plan  for  the  decoration  of  the 
rural  school  can  be  completed  in  one  season, 
but  a  beginning,  pleasing  to  the  eye,  is  a  good 
thing,  a  fertile  seed  of  usefulness. 

In  rural  districts,  gardens  for  experiment  or 
sample  plots  for  observation  are  sometimes 
possible  even  on  a  relatively  microscopic  scale. 
Classroom  demonstration  of  the  qualities  of  soils 
and  other  experiments  may  illustrate  the  growth 
upon   these  small   plots.     The  country   boy,   of 

69 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

course,  has  no  use  for  farming  on  tiny  beds  that 
to  city  children  seem  veritable  plantations. 
Such  baby  farming  and  such  instruction  in  the 
first  use  of  tools  as  would  be  welcome  in  the  city 
would  be  ridiculous  in  the  country.  Possibly 
a  farmer's  boy  hates  the  whole  business  of  farm- 


Canadian  Boys  Spraying  Potatoes 


ing  and  longs  for  the  day  when  he  can  get 
away  from  it  and  enjoy  life  more  as  he  fancies  his 
city  cousins  do.  His  father,  perhaps,  has  no  use  for 
the  new  school  frills,  and  does  not  want  interference 
or  intrusion  on  his  home  ground.  But  it  may  be 
feasible  to  introduce  school  gardening  by  suggest- 
ing that  one  boy  or  group  of  boys  should  conduct 

70 


I 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

home  experiments,  as,  for  instance,  with  two 
apple  trees  or  two  patches  of  potatoes,  spraying 
the  one  and  not  the  other  and  having  different 
children  make  occasional  visits  to  compare  notes.* 
On  the  other  hand,  throughout  New  England 
and  New  York,  many  schoolhouses  have  barely 
ground  enough  for  the  children's  recess.  Yet 
even  so,  if  a  few  feet  of  ground  could  be  planted, 
for  example,  to  cabbages  or  potatoes,  an  experi- 
ment could  be  conducted  that  would  touch  the 
taxpayer's  pocket,  dissolve  the  shell  of  preju- 
dice, and  win  at  least  a  grudging  acknowledg- 
ment that  there  is  some  merit  in  school  gardening. 
Such  a  plot  could  be  divided  into  halves  and  one 
part  planted  with  selected  eyes  from  large,  well 
formed  potatoes  while  the  other  half  should  be 
seeded  with  eyes  from  small  or  indifferent  stock. 
One-half  of  each  division  should  be  carefully 
sprayed  against  the  ravages  of  the  potato  bug. 
I'he  other  half  should  be  left  to  care  for  itself. 
The  result  would  show  the  relative  value  of 
the  crops  in  a  most  convincing  way.  Ten 
cabbages  would  demonstrate  the  ravages  of 
the  common  cabbage  butterfly  and,  incident- 
ally, of  the  cabbage  root  maggot  and  the  flea 
beetle   in    localities  where   they  abound.      Four 

♦Sec  Appendix  A,  Note  4,  for  Dr.  Robertsons  offer  of  prize 
money  for  wheat  and  oats  grown  by  the  children  of  Canada,  and 
notice  the  bearing  of  this  upon  the  school  garden  work. 

Where  there  is  a  branch  of  the  Grange  it  is  well  to  ask  it,  indi- 
vidually or  collectively,  for  suggestions   and  for  aid   in  improving 
the  school  premises.     Sec  Appendix  A,  Note  5. 
6  7, 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

heads  of  cabbage  should  be  carefully  screened 
by  one  piece  of  cheese  cloth  or  netting  and  four 
by  another,  while  two  may  be  left  uncovered. 
Those  uncovered  will  be  exposed  while  young 
seedlings  and  tender  plants  to  attacks  of  the 
beetle  and  the  maggot.     Those  covered  will  be  pro- 


Corn  Breeding 

Plot 

2  Aeries 


L 

SCI.rtr 

Bqyis     Potatoes 
3  Acres 

Fertili«r 

Plot 
^Aiich 

T^^S 

maU  fruit 

\ 

General 
Exptrimeiit 

With 
Garden  Pltnts 

Rotation 
Plot 
"sAEath 

^»N"&now'.r 

t. 

1 

1 

Canby,  Minn.,  Public  School  Garden  and  Experimental  Farm 


tected  from  the  cabbage  butterfly;  but  it  is  pro- 
posed to  introduce  under  one  of  the  screens  all 
the  white  butterflies  of  this  variety  of  pierids 
which  the  children  may  catch.  Later,  the  riddled 
leaves  of  one  group  of  plants  will  show  the 
ravages  of  the  caterpillar  hatched  from  the  but- 

72 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

terflies*  eggs,  and  the  life  history  of  the  insect 
may  be  presented  as  a  complete  story  for  the 
children. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C,  furnishes  on  request,  brief,  accurate,  and 
popularly  written  leaflets  on  the  cabbage  butter- 
fly (Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  142)  and  one  on 
potato  culture  (No.  35).*  Many  other  bulletins 
on  various  subjects  are  issued  by  the  department, 
a  list  of  which  will  be  sent  upon  application.! 
State  experiment  stations  also  issue  free  bulletins, 
and  their  experts  stand  ready  to  answer  any 
questions  in  regard  to  soils,  plant  or  insect  life. 
In  writing  for  bulletins,  it  is  well  to  explain 
whether  those  treating  the  subject  from  the 
popular  or  from  the  scientific  side  are  wanted, 
as  many  stations  issue  two  series.  If  specimens 
are  to  be  sent  for  identification  a  note  should  pre- 
cede them.  If  it  be  concluded  with  a  word  of 
thanks  for  the  favor  about  to  be  conferred  and 
followed  by  a  postal  card  acknowledging  the  in- 
formation when  received,  the  courtesy  is  appre- 
ciated by  the  busy  officials  whose  letters  mount 
daily  into  the  hundreds,  but  who  like  to  know  that 
their  answers  have  supplied  the  needed  informa- 
tion. One  man  said  "Experience  teaches  us 
that  we  cannot  expect  this,  but  we  do  prefer  it." 

♦  See  also  Potato  Culture  in  Cornell  Agricultural  College  Leaflets 
Nos.  196,  140,  and  Appendix  A,  Note  6,  telling  results  of  experiments 
by  Canadian  children. 

t  See  Bibliography. 

73 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Courtesy  is  pretty  sure  to  be  remembered  and  to 
bear  interest. 

In  our  western  states  much  has  been  done  to 
improve  rural  school  conditions.  Many  counties 
and  normal  schools  publish  bulletins,  some  of 
them  free,  others  at  slight  cost,  most  of  which  are 
very  helpful.     In  the  west  and  south  the  famous 


School  Garden,  State  Normal  School,   Kearney,  Nebraska 


corn  contests  are  carried  on  among  clubs  of  farmers' 
boys.*  In  Nebraska,  some  2200  boys  have  en- 
gaged in  growing  seed  corn  in  prize  competition. 
One  state  offered  a  two  weeks'  trip  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  to  the  boy  who  won  first  prize,  and 

*  An  interesting  account  of  the  work  of  Dr.  Seaman  A.  Knapp,  of 
the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry,  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture, 
among  farmer  boys  of  the  south,  will  be  found  in  The  Outlook,  Feb. 
5,1910,  pp.  279-280. 

74 


DIFFERENT   KINDS   OF   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

each  county  added  a  premium  of  $150  if  the 
prize  winner  was  found  among  its  own  lads. 
In  Illinois,  apart  from  corn  contests  better- 
ment of  rural  school  conditions  and  the  open- 
ing of  school  gardens  have  been  actively  pushed, 
especially  in  Winnebago  County  under  Super- 
intendent O.  J.  Kern.  Other  counties  have 
followed  the  lead,  and  there  has  been  a  steady 
development  since  1906  when  Marion  county  had 
ten  school  gardens,  ten  per  cent  of  the  schools  in 
McHenry  county  had  gardens,  Coles  county  had  a 
garden  of  one  acre  for  its  graded  school.  Pike 
county  had  a  garden,  and  Peoria  county  had 
twenty-five  in  connection  with  rural  schools.* 

Many  schools  in  country  districts  could  follow 
the  custom  adopted  in  the  cities  of  giving  out 
seeds  for  the  children  to  plant  in  their  home 
gardens,  and  the  teacher's  social  call  might 
include  supervision  of  these.  Speaking  of  the 
work  in  Concord  Normal  School,  Athens,  W. 
Va.,  where  seeds  are  distributed  to  the  children 
to  be  planted  in  home  plots  with  supervision  and 
advice  by  the  head  of  the  department,  the  prin- 
cipal, Mr.  C.  L.  Bemis,  writes: 

"The  reason  we  are  doing  our  work  in  this  way 
is  because  we  have  no  ground  of  our  own  for  such 
work.  I  think  I  should  prefer  the  way  we  are 
doing  it,  anyway,  because  it  makes  the  parents 
more  interested  in  the  work,  and  all  the  child 
raises  is  his  own.     //  is  necessary,  however,  for  him 

♦  Kern,  O.  J.:  Among  G)untry  Schools,  p.  8ji. 

75 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

to  return  seeds  to  the  school  for  those  taken  away 
from  the  school.  He  has  to  carry  the  plant  through 
from  the  seed  to  the  seed."* 

In  the  south,  also,  attempts  are  being  made  to 
interest  the  farmers'  children  in  flower  or  vegetable 
gardens  of  their  own.  Among  the  central  states, 
as  in  Ohio,  the  work  in  this  line  sometimes  does 
not  take  the  form  of  technical  instruction  in 
agriculture,  but  rather  of  teaching  that  shall 
open  the  children's  eyes  to  the  growing  life 
about  them.  Sometimes  this  is  done  by  reading 
from  the  works  of  such  authors  as  Riley,  Carleton, 
Burroughs,  who  write  of  the  farm,  woods  and  fields  ; 
sometimes  by  stories  of  what  men  like  Burbank 
have  done,  or  of  the  achievements  of  men  like 
McCormick  who  have  invented  labor  saving  tools. 
.In  garden  and  nature  study  work  the  object  is  to 
make  the  country  boy  realize  the  natural  forces 
with  which  he  must  deal,  the  wonderful  changes 
that  go  on  about  him;  to  lead  him  to  scientific 
understanding  of  his  environment,  appreciation 
of  his  economic  position,  and  to  realization  of  the 
aesthetic  enjoyment  possible  in  his  surround- 
ings.f     Such  intellectual  training  will  not  carry 

*  The  italics  are  the  author's.  Following  the  circuit  of  the 
free  traveling  libraries  in  seven  of  the  southern  states,  over  a  hundred 
school  gardens  have  been  established  in  connection  with  the  rural 
schools. 

f  "  If  the  farmer  as  he  trudges  down  the  corn  rows  under  the  June 
sun  sees  only  clods  and  weeds  and  corn,  he  leads  an  empty  and  a 
barren  life.  But  if  he  knows  of  the  work  of  the  moisture  in  air  and 
soil,  of  the  use  of  air  to  root  and  leaf,  of  the  mysterious  chemistry  in 

76 


DIFFERENT   KINDS   OF   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

his  interests  away  from  the  farm,  as  is  so  often 
the  case  in  school  life  now,  but  will  provide 
breadth  of  culture,  make  rural  life  fuller  and  give 
a  mental  alertness  useful  for  all  time,  whether  the 
boy  remains  upon  the  farm  or  enters  industrial 
or  professional  life. 

We  of  the  north  Atlantic  coast  pride  ourselves 
upon  the  little  red  schoolhouse,  and  the  church 
steeples  that  crown  our  New  England  hills; 
upon  the  virtue  that  came  out  of  them  and  went 
into  the  making  of  our  country.  But  this  is 
now  largely  a  matter  of  historic  pride  and  poetic 
sentiment  only.  Today  the  New  England  school- 
house  is  too  frequently  a  blot  on  our  civilization; 
a  raw,  ugly  object,  spoiling  the  beauty  of  the 
landscape,  indecent  in  its  surroundings;  of  rude, 
unlovely  exterior,  with  only  the  flag  as  an  inspira- 
tion; and  with  a  dismal,  uncomfortable  interior 
for  tasks  that  have  but  little  vital  connection 
with  the  life  which  the  children  lead.  Even  in 
the  largest  buildings  and  with  the  wider  curriculum 
of  the  schools  of  the  small  towns  there  is  no  place 
for  the  development  of  the  farmer's  boy  as  there  is 
for  the  child  of  the  merchant,  mechanic,  artizan  or 
artist.    There  is  no  outlook  toward  the  agricultural 

the  sunbeam,  of  the  vital  forces  in  the  growing  plant,  and  of  the  bac- 
teria in  the  soil  liberating  its  elements  of  fertility;  if  he  sees  all  the 
relation  of  all  these  natural  forces  to  his  own  work;  if  he  can  follow 
his  crop  to  the  market,  to  foreign  lands,  to  the  mill,  to  the  oven  and 
the  table — he  realizes  that  he  is  no  mere  toiler."  Felmley,  David: 
Agriculture  and  Horticulture  in  the  Rural  Schools. 

77 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

college  as  toward  the  college  of  arts  and  sciences  or 
the  special  professional  or  trade  school.     "  Manual 


What   Is! 


training  has  brought  the  shop  and  school  together 
but  the  farm  and  school  are  still  far  apart." 

78 


DIFFERENT    KINDS   OF   SCHOOL   GARDENS 
No  Lime  With  Lime 


(1) 

Nothing 

Nitrate  of  Soda 

(3)                                                                                                                       1 
Acid  Phosphate               j 

Muriate  of  Potash 
G)mplete  Fertilizer 

(6) 

Nitrate  of  Soda  and  Acid  Phos. 

Nitrate  of  Soda  and  KCI 
(Potassium  chlorid  or  muriate) 

(8) 

KCI  and  Acid  Phos. 

(9) 

Street  Sweepings 

(lO) 

Street  Sweepings  and 
Complete  Fertilizer 

Cultivated 
Unsprayed 

every  lo  Davs 

Sprayed 

Cultivated 
Unsprayed 

every  other  Day 

Sprayed 

Experimental  Plots.    School  Garden.  Roger  Williams  Park,  Provi- 
dence. R.  I.     Courtesy  of  E.  K.  Thomas. 

A  SuGGtsTED  Experimental  Plot. 

79 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

It  is  possible  to  make  the  school  and  its  sur- 
roundings more  attractive,  to  give  its  dry  routine 
a  closer  connection  with  the  children's  daily 
lives,  and  through  it  to  add  new  interests  to 
the  life  of  field  and  wood.  It  does  not  need  a 
nurseryman  to  give  a  lesson  in  transplanting  vines 
or  bushes  or  young  trees;  to  set  out  a  growth  of 
baby  pine  or  red  cedars  for  a  wind-break  or 
rapidly  growing  sumac  for  a  screen;  to  plant 
the  royal  aster  or  glowing  golden  rod  in  a  dismal 
corner,  or  train  the  clematis  to  cover  bare  walls 
or  fences.  This  much  can  surely  be  attempted 
and  possibly  also  a  small  vegetable  garden  or 
trial  plots  on  a  larger  scale  for  work  with  grains 
and  fertilizers.  Experimental  plots  are  better 
on  the  rural  school  ground  especially  where  land 
is  cheap,  for  they  can  be  made  to  bear  directly 
upon  the  economic  interests  of  the  community. 
Moreover,  the  cost  of  land  increases,  and  if  its 
purchase  is  deferred  from  year  to  year  in  rural 
towns,  whole  districts  become  built  up  and  we 
soon  have  the  problem  of  the  congested  city  dis- 
trict. 

The  experimental  gardens  while  intended  first 
of  all  for  the  wholesome,  full  development  of  child 
nature,  frequently  aim  to  be  feeders  for  the  agri- 
cultural colleges  or  high  schools.  They  purpose  to 
deepen  in  children  a  love  for  country  life  and  to 
teach  them  that  the  farmer's  calling  offers  equal 
opportunity  with  other  livelihoods  for  well  rounded 
development,  pleasant  work  and  successful  eifort. 

80 


CHAPTER  in 
SOIL  FERTILITY 


CHAPTER  III 
SOIL  FERTILITY 

"Agriculture  is  the  oldest  of  the  arts  and  the  newest  of  the  sci- 
ences," 

"  Finely  divided  nutritious  soil,  with  a  reasonable  supply  of  water, 
is  the  prime  requisite  of  successful  gardening." 

"Perfect  agriculture  is  the  true  foundation  of  trade  and  indus- 
try,— it  is  the  true  foundation  of  the  riches  of  states." 

TO  become  a  successful  teacher  of  school 
gardening  it  is  not  necessary  to  be  an  agri- 
culturist, botanist,  entomologist,  psych- 
ologist or  chef;  but  a  knowledge  of  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  agriculture  is  needed,  in  order 
to  give  plants  their  right  soil,  and  to  protect  and 
encourage  their  growth.  Elementary  botany  is 
needed  to  make  clear  to  the  child  processes  of 
growth,  the  adaptation  of  parts  to  development, 
and  the  life  history  of  the  plant.  The  teacher 
should  have  sufficient  knowledge  of  entomology  to 
discriminate  between  the  insects  that  are  benefi- 
cial and  those  that  are  hurtful  to  plant  life,  and 
to  tell  their  life  story.  She  should  be  enough  of 
a  cook  to  give  practical  lessons  in  preparing  the 
food  raised  in  the  garden,  and  to  be  on  the  watch 
to  introduce  the  use  of  new  vegetables,  especially 

83 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

those  suitable  for  salads  or  greens.  Further,  the 
gardening  instructor  need  not  be  a  trained  psy- 
chologist, but  must  know  how  to  present  the  facts 
of  the  garden  so  in  accord  with  the  laws  of  asso- 
ciation as  to  call  forth  the  child's  quick  sense  for 
analogies,  to  hold  attention,  to  whet  curiosity,  and 


A 


^'m 


ft:     "^M 


» 


I  i 


Children  Who  Need  School  Gardens 


to  grip  the  memory.  Otherwise,  the  garden  will 
only  teach  about  growing  plants  and  not  develop 
perception,  judgment  and  stronger  moral  fiber. 

There  are  constant  illustrations  of  the  fact  that 
these  aims  can  be  attained,  and  a  garden  that  falls 
short  of  such  results  is  a  failure.     In  Carleton 

84 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

county,  Canada,  71  per  cent  of  the  children  from 
schools  with  gardens  passed  their  high  school  ex- 
aminations, while  from  schools  without  gardens 
only  49  per  cent  passed.  This  was  a  gain  of  22 
per  cent  during  the  three  years  the  Macdonald 
school  had  been  established  there.  American 
teachers  also  report  growth  in  mental  alertness, 
in  the  sense  of  responsibility  for  school  property 
and  appearance,  and  less  disorder  and  naughtiness 
from  the  exuberance  of  animal  spirits  that  now 
fmd  a  safe  vent  in  gardening.  In  the  large  garden 
of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  the  men- 
tality of  the  boys  who  entered  as  farmers  was 
increased  30  per  cent,  while  their  morals  so  im- 
proved that  city  lots,  safe  at  last  from  their 
depredations,  rose  in  value  from  I200  and  I300, 
to  $400  and  $600. 

It  is  fundamental  for  school  gardeners  to  under- 
stand how  to  create  soil  fertility  and  preserve 
reasonable  moisture.  Upon  these,  more  than 
upon  anything  else,  successful  crops  depend. 

Soil,  ''that  part  of  the  earth  which  can  be  culti- 
vated and  in  which  plants  can  grow",  is  dis- 
integrated rock  with  more  or  less  decayed  and 
decaying  organic  matter — vegetable  or  animal — 
mixed  through  it.  Such  matter  is  called  humus, 
or  sometimes  ''vegetable  soil"  because  so  largely 
composed  of  decaying  vegetation.  When  soils 
are  divided  according  to  their  texture,  they 
are  known  as  gravel,  coarse  sand,  medium 
sand,  fme  sand,  very  fme  sand,  silt,  clay  and 

85 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

''vegetable  soir'.  The  most  common  types  of 
nearly  pure  humus  are  the  leaf  mold  of  the  woods, 
or  the  rich,  soft,  friable  earth,  still  showing  its 
origin,  found  at  the  bottom  and  under  the  edges 
of  every  old  woodpile.  From  this  almost  clear 
vegetable  soil,  humus  in  varying  quantities  runs 
through  the  different  varieties  of  soil  mentioned, 
almost  entirely  disappearing  in  the  coarser  sands 
and  gravel.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to 
plants  because  it  not  only  largely  furnishes  them 
food,  but  through  the  chemical  changes  it  is  con- 
stantly undergoing,  it  helps  to  break  up  the  more 
insoluble  mineral  constituents  of  the  soil  intofmer 
particles,  and  thus  tends  constantly  to  increase 
both  the  supply  of  plant  food  and  the  area  over 
which  and  through  which  the  tiny  root  fibers  can 
make  their  way.  Herein  lies  one  of  the  values  of 
well-rotted,  coarse  barnyard  manure  over  the  ar- 
tificial fertilizers.  The  manure  helps  the  plants 
mechanically  as  well  as  chemically. 

So  important  is  the  humus  that  its  relative 
quantities  determine  the  division  of  soils  ac- 
cording to  their  productivity.*  A  good  loam, 
^an  excellent  soil  for  most  growth,  is  approxi- 
mately one-third  gravel,  one-third  clay  and  one- 
third  humus.     To  this,  land  in  a  farming  country 

*  There  is  still  another  division  of  soils  according  to  their  forma- 
tion. Their  names  tell  their  story, — sedimentary  soil,  transported 
soil,  alluvial  soil,  glacial  soil  and  wind-formed  soil.  On  the  leeward 
side  of  arid  lands  and  deserts  the  soil,  carried  there  by  the  wind,  is 
often  very  fine  and  fertile. 

86 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

may  very  likely  approach,  or  readily  be  made  to 
approach  by  the  use  of  ordinary  fertilizers.  Ac- 
cording to  soil  fertility,  a  division  is  made  into 
(i)  sandy  soil,  containing  80  to  100  per  cent  of 
sand;  (2)  sandy  loam,  with  60  to  80  per  cent  of 
sand;  (this  is  light  to  work,  and  if  plant  food  be 
added,  is  quicker  in  results,  hence  desirable  for 
truck  farming);  (3)  loam  with  40  to  60  per  cent 
of  sand,  the  best  all  round  soil  (if  air  dried,  it 
will  weigh  100  pounds  per  cubic  foot;  while  aver- 
age garden  soil  weighs  about  70  pounds);  (4) 
clay  loam  with  20  to  40  per  cent  of  sand;  and 
(5)  clay,  a  heavy  soil,  likely  to  be  cold,  with  from 
20  per  cent  of  sand  to  no  appreciable  amount. 

For  a  number  of  reasons  a  light  sandy  loam 
is  preferable  for  children's  gardens.  It  is  less 
subject  to  weather  conditions  than  the  other  soils. 
Consequently,  it  can  be  worked  at  almost  any 
time,  as,  for  example,  earlier  in  the  spring  and 
sooner  after  showers.  The  children  can  handle  it 
more  easily  than  the  colder  clay,  which  tends  to 
become  hard  and  lumpy,  to  hold  pools  of  stagnant 
water,  and  to  form  slippery  paths  where  a  tumble 
might  be  disastrous  to  clothing  or  to  plants.  A 
light  loam  will  grow  and  rapidly  mature,  with 
comparatively  little  special  treatment,  the  plants 
usually  selected  for  the  children's  beds,  as  well  as 
nearly  all  those  chosen  for  the  observation  or 
sample  plots.  It  is  the  least  difficult  soil;  conse- 
quently it  is  the  standard  to  which  one  should  try 
to  attain  when  soils  on  school  garden  sites  have 
7  87 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

to  be  improved.  There  is  still  another  division  of 
soils  based  upon  the  ease  with  which  they  may 
be  worked.  Sandy  soils  are  usually  called  *'  light " 
because  they  are  easier  to  work,  though  in  equal 
quantities  they  really  weigh  more;  for  a  cubic 
foot  of  dry  sand  weighs  i  lo  pounds  and  the  same 
amount  of  clay  about  80  pounds. 

Soil,  as  thus  far  discussed,  is  that  part  of  the 
earth's  surface  sometimes  called  the  ''top-soil" 
in  distinction  from  the  ''subsoil".  As  the  top- 
soil  practically  holds  all  the  humus,  the  subsoil 
is  virtually  non-nutritious,  disintegrated  rock. 
Accordingly,  when  we  speak  of  soil,  we  usually 
mean  the  top  layer,  whether  a  few  inches  or  a 
few  feet  in  depth.  This  depth  is  all  important  to 
the  gardener,  for  under  no  circumstances  must  the 
top-soil  be  destroyed  or  the  subsoil  be  turned  over 
upon  it.  That  will  be  the  result  if  ploughing  is 
too  deep  or  if,  in  grading,  the  top-soil  be  leveled 
off  or  subsoil  be  dumped  upon  it.  Between  these 
two  soils  there  is  usually  a  difference  in  color  and 
texture. 

A  gardener  or  householder  should  see  that  in 
the  garden  or  about  the  home  grounds  every 
particle  of  the  top-soil  shall  be  preserved.  So 
important  is  this,  that  a  wise  husbandman  will 
not  harrow  his  land  on  a  windy  day  lest  the  wind 
carry  off  in  clouds  of  fme  dust  the  food  particles 
so  desirable  for  his  crops.  In  grading,  it  is  some- 
times necessary  to  skim  off  the  top-soil,  level,  and 
replace  it.     Where  the  top  layer  is  thin,  and  the 

88 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

gardener  thrifty,  the  top-soil  of  paths,  as  they  are 
made  or  cleaned,  is  thrown  on  the  beds  and  made 
in  some  measure  to  replace  soil  that  has  been 
worn  out  or  removed  by  adhering  to  the  roots  of 
weeds  and  rubbish.  A  vegetable  garden  can  be 
built  up  on  four  inches  of  top-soil  by  avoiding  deep 
root  crops  and  by  frequent  fertilization  to  replace 
exhausted  plant  food.  A  flower  garden,  carefully 
selected  for  shallow  running  roots,  can  be  built 
upon  less  depth.  But  grains  require  more  as  they 
send  their  roots  from  two  to  four  feet  deep  and 
corn  requires  even  six  feet.  It  is  therefore  essen- 
tial to  recognize  and  conserve  this  top  layer  of 
soil. 

Finely  divided  soil  may,  as  in  the  case  of  soils 
of  reasonable  fertility  and  lightness,  be  obtained 
by  a  mere  mechanical  division  and  multiplication 
of  particles,  by  ploughing,  harrowing  or  by  deep 
spading  and  raking.  If  an  experienced  plough- 
man is  not  to  be  had,  and  the  area  permits, 
by  all  means  thoroughly  spade  it.  Land  should 
be  prepared  in  the  fall.  It  should  be  ploughed 
evenly,  deeply  and  carefully,  turning  in  well  rotted 
manure  that  has  been  spread  about  three  inches 
deep.  This  depth  of  manure  is  necessary  for  the 
rich  soil  demanded  in  a  school  garden,  where  the 
same  soil  may  be  required  to  carry  successive  crops 
in  one  season.  Ten  cords  to  the  acre  is  a  farm 
average,  and  spreads  a  layer  of  one-quarter  of  an 
inch.  Market  gardens  often  use  from  25  to  30 
cords;  truck  farmers  on  small  areas  use  still  more. 

89 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

If  fresh,  it  may  be  turned  in  in  less  quantity  and 
the  land  allowed  to  lie  unplanted  for  some  time, 
or  it  may  be  heaped  in  piles,  wet  down  and 
allowed  to  decompose  for  several  weeks.  In 
warm  weather  such  piles  should  not  be  left  to 
breed  flies,  and  they  should  at  all  times  be  mixed 
with  soil  to  prevent  the  escape  into  the  air  of 
nitrogenous  gases  from  the  decomposing  nitrogen 
compounds.  Fresh  manure  will  burn  out  seeds 
and  scorch  plants. 

Land  is  better  with  a  so-called  cover  crop  of 
some  sort,  often  winter  rye,  which  in  the  spring 
may  be  turned  in  early  as  green  manure.  After 
a  little  opportunity  for  it  to  decompose,  the  ground 
may  be  ploughed  or  spaded  and  harrowed  (spring 
tooth  harrow),  raked,  and  so  put  in  order  for  the 
laying  out  and  planting  of  the  garden.  Where  a 
grass  sod  exists,  it  must  be  disc-harrowed  in  both 
directions  and  cut  again  and  again  before  being 
ploughed  in.  If  the  school  garden  is  not  decided 
upon  until  spring,  the  land  must  be  fertilized,* 
ploughed  or  spaded,  and  allowed  to  lie  open  a  few 
days  to  air  and  sun  before  planting. 

In  respect  to  the  suitability  of  a  soil  for  cultiva- 

*  Commercial  fertilizer  for  school  gardens  on  medium  light  garden 
soil  may  be  figured  at  i  pint  per  5x10  feet  plot  or  100  pounds  per 
100  such  plots,  provided  it  is  an  "all  round  fertilizer".  Such  a  one 
would  carry  60  per  cent  bone  meal  or  dust  (or  30  pounds  superphos- 
phate), 20  pounds  nitrate  of  soda,  20  pounds  muriate  of  potash.  If 
fertilizer  of  one  constituent  only  is  used,  bone  meal  is  probably 
preferable.  Pulverized  sheep  manure  is  an  all  round  fertilizer  and 
safer  to  use  since  it  will  not  burn  rootlets  or  many  kinds  of  seed. 

90 


SOIL   FERTILITY 

tion,  the  simplest  test  is  to  compress  a  handful, 
then,  opening  the  fingers,  give  it  a  light  toss. 
The  compressed  lump  should  show  a  light  im- 
pression of  the  fingers.  When  tossed  to  the 
ground,  it  should  fall  all  apart  with  the  soil 
grains  adhering  in  masses  too  small  to  be  called 
lumps.  If  the  soil  is  sticky,  over  wet,  over  heavy 
(clayey),  coarse,  or  over  light  so  as  to  fall  in 
distinct  grains  (sandy),  it  will  not  answer  the 
test. 

A  chemical  test  of  the  soil  would  give  all  the 
elements  it  contained  and  their  proportions,  but 
would  not  determine  what  portion  of  them  is 
available  for  plant  food.  To  be  so  available, 
there  must  first  of  all  be  a  reasonable  amount  of 
water.  Root  fibres  can  absorb  no  food  except 
as  it  is  in  solution  in  the  tiny  films  of  water  sur- 
rounding each  infinitesimal  particle  that  goes 
to  make  up  the  little  masses  usually  spoken 
of  as  atoms  of  soil.  This  film  moisture  is 
known  technically  as  "hygroscopic  moisture"  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  capillary  water  which  is 
held  in  the  spaces  between  the  soil  particles  by 
capillary  attraction,  and  which  is  of  direct  use 
to  the  plant  in  carrying  plant  food  from  place  to 
place.  This  capillary  water  finds  its  reservoir  in 
the  "ground  water",  which  is  the  water  that  has 
percolated  through  the  soil  until  it  reaches  an 
impervious  layer,  where  it  gathers  to  supply  our 
springs  and  wells.  To  return  to  the  hygroscopic 
moisture,  where  there  is  so  small  a  quantity  as 

91 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

from  three  to  ten  parts  of  plant  food  in  solution 
in  one  million  parts  of  water,  it  will  be  sufficient 
to  support  plant  life  if  it  is  constantly  supplied. 
The  process  by  which  the  food-laden  water  enters 
the  root  hairs  and  passes  throughout  the  plant 
is  called  ''osmosis".  No  crop  will  grow  in  a 
sandy  soil  holding  less  than  19  per  cent  of  water, 
or  in  a  clayey  one  with  less  than  38  per  cent.  As 
the  arrangement  of  the  soil  particles  bears  a  close 
relation  to  the  agricultural  value  of  the  land,  their 
number  (varying  in  soils  of  different  texture)  will 
indicate  in  a  general  way  the  suitability  of  the 
ground  for  crops.* 

The  practical  gardener  or  nurseryman  will  tell 
good  soil  at  a  glance,  or  what  poor  soil  needs  to 
improve  it.  A  novice  may  fmd  out  by  the  phys- 
ical test  of  earth  taken  from  different  parts  of  the 
proposed  garden  site.  It  is  customary  to  take 
the  earth  out  by  driving  a  tube  from  six  inches  to 
a  foot  into  the  ground.  Any  kind  of  a  tube,  such 
as  an  old  apple  corer,  or  better,  a  boy's  blow  pipe, 
will  do.  The  steps  of  the  process  of  testing  are  as 
follows:  (i)  Thoroughly  mix  the  specimens,  un- 
less they  are  very  unlike  (if  so,  test  separately). 
Carefully  weigh,  noting  first  the  weight  of  the 
receptacle  (the  best  kind  is  an  old,  shallow  tin 

*  As  an  illustration,  grass  and  wheat  thrive  best  in  soil  having 
396,900,000,000  grains  of  clay  to  the  ounce,  while  corn  lands  should 
have  from  170,100,000,000  to  198,450,000,000  grains.  Fifteen 
hundred  pounds  of  quicklime  to  the  acre  will  by  its  decomposing 
power  {not  fertilizing),  change  wheat  or  grass  lands  to  corn  lands. 
Such  problems  do  not  confront  the  ordinary  school  gardener. 

92 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

pan),  and  the  weight  of  it  and  the  soil  together. 
Then,  over  a  low  flame  so  as  to  avoid  scorching 
or  burning  the  earth,  drive  off  the  moisture  it 
contains,  weighing  from  time  to  time  until  a 
constant  weight  is  obtained.  Thus  you  will  find 
the  weight  of  water  and  by  ratio  its  percentage  in 
the  soil.  (2)  Find  the  percentage  of  humus  by 
heating  for  twenty  minutes,  sufficiently  to  burn 
out  all  organic  matter  as  proved  by  again  ob- 
taining a  constant  weight.  The  difference  be- 
tween the  constant  weight  of  (i)  and  of  (2)  will 
give  the  weight  of  humus  and  its  percentage. 
Then  (3)  test  for  the  gravel  and  sands  by  sifting. 
The  United  States  government  uses  a  set  of  brass 
sieves.  Homemade  ones  will  answer,  such  as 
boxes  with  their  bottoms  replaced  by  fine  wire 
gauze  and  by  bolting  cloth.  Gravel  will  not  pass 
through  a  wire  mesh  of  less  than  two  millimeters 
diameter.  Coarse  sand  will  not  go  through  one 
less  than  one  millimeter;  medium  sand,  through 
one  less  than  one-half  millimeter;  and  fine  sand, 
through  one  less  than  one-fourth,  while  very  fine 
sand  will  not  pass  through  a  sieve  of  one-twentieth 
of  a  millimeter  mesh  or  less.  For  separating  the 
last  two,  bolting  cloth  of  a  mesh  known  as  No. 
5  and  13  may  be  used.  The  silt  and  clay  are 
mingled  and  will  be  separated  by  the  fourth  step. 
(4)  The  silt  and  clay  are  carefully  weighed,  then 
shaken  with  a  quantity  of  water  and  boiled  for  ten 
minutes  or  longer.  Then  they  are  allowed  to 
stand  until  the  heavy  silt  sinks  to  the  bottom  and 

93 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

the  clay  in  solution  can  be  decanted  off.  The 
water  in  both  is  then  evaporated  and  each  in 
turn  weighed  to  constant  weight  or  to  within  one 
thirty-second  of  an  ounce  thereof.  Soil  grains 
of  silt  run  from  one-twentieth  to  one  one-hun- 
dredth of  a  millimeter  in  diameter,  and  of  clay 
from  one  five-thousandth  to  one  ten-thousandth.* 
To  complete  the  experiment,  the  weights  of  the 
gravel  and  of  each  of  the  sand  residues  should  be 
found.  Each  of  the  varieties  found  in  soil  may 
be  put  in  a  small  vial,  neatly  labeled  with  name 
and  percentage,  and  mounted  on  a  card.  If 
humus  and  water  of  the  determined  weights  be 
also  placed  in  vials,  the  card  will  be  a  complete 
exhibit  of  the  garden  soil  in  its  physical  charac- 
teristics and  approximate  supply  of  plant  food. 

At  first  thought,  it  would  seem  as  if  the  finer 
clay  would  furnish  more  plant  food.  It  does  hold 
more.  The  soil  grains  of  a  cubic  foot  of  coarse 
sand  will  spread  over  one-fourth  an  acre,  while 
those  in  the  same  amount  of  finest  clay  will 
spread  over  four  acres.  Consequently,  the  clay 
with  its  myriads  of  film  surfaces  will  hold  more 
water.  But  clay  soils  are  so  compact  that  water 
stagnates  in  them,  cutting  off  the  air  that  should 
go  to  the  roots,  tending  to  sour  the  ground  and  to 
develop  in  it  mold  and  fungus  disease.     On  top, 

*  The  experiment  can  be  shortened  by  a  determination  of  the 
water,  the  humus,  all  the  sands,  and  the  clay  and  silt  in  one  mass. 
Plants  will  not  grow  in  over  80  per  cent  of  sand,  or  over  60  per  cent 
of  clay. 

94 


SOIL   FERTILITY 

clay  will  dry,  cake,  and  crack  open  when  the  sur- 
face moisture  is  sunned  out. 

It  is  known  that  plants  take  from  50  to  90  per 
cent  of  their  food,  of  which  three-fourths  is  carbon, 
from  the  air.  This  carbon  is  derived  from  the  car- 
bonic acid  gas,  which  is  at  least  30  per  cent  greater 
in  the  ground  air  than  in  the  air  we  breathe.  Where 
there  is  sufficient  moisture  in  the  ground  to  allow 
a  free  circulation,  there  is  sure  to  be  both  a  con- 
stant supply  of  air,  of  available  plant  food  in  the 
soil,  and  also  a  sufficiently  deep  passage  of  sun- 
light to  keep  plants  healthy.  Accordingly,  if  the 
garden  site  has  too  much  clay  and  is  soggy,  it 
may  be  treated  with  quicklime  to  sweeten  it*  and 
break  it  up  into  finer  particles,  or  with  coarse 
manures  and  turned-in  cover  crops.  Both  will 
furnish  readily  available  plant  food  and  help  to 
lighten  the  soil.  Sand  and  even  coal  ashes,  in 
reasonable  quantities,  leaves,  and  any  organic 
matter,  if  decaying  rapidly  enough  to  quickly 
disintegrate,  may  also  be  used.  Furthermore, 
paths  can  be  laid  to  act  as  surface  drains. f 

If  one  has  to  deal  with  a  too  sandy  soil,  the 
need  is  for  an  admixture  of  clay  and  humus,  which 
will  act,  as  will  also  manure,  to  help  conserve  soil 

♦  Five  to  ten  barrels  per  acre.  The  sourness  of  soil  can  be  detected 
by  its  turning  blue  litmus  paper  red. 

t  Land  where  the  water  stands  in  pools  upon  the  surface  must  be 
drained  by  trenching  or  the  equivalent  as  above;  where  water  is  held 
too  freely  the  soil  must  be  tiled.  Occasionally,  a  small  and  perhaps 
temporary  ditch  will  carry  off  the  excess  of  water  due  to  spring  rains. 

95 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

moisture.  In  such  a  soil,  the  nitrates  are  apt  to 
be  lacking;  they  are  so  soluble  they  wash  away. 
Plants  must  have  nitrogen,  and  their  root  fibers 
will  accept  it  only  in  the  form  of  nitrates  in  solu- 
tion. One  whole  class  of  plants,  however,  the 
leguminosae,  of  which  the  pea  and  bean  and  the 
clover  are  typical  are  an  exception,  for  they 
possess  the  unique  characteristic  of  bearing  on 
their  rootlets  nodules  in  which  dwell  colonies  of 
bacteria  that  have  the  power  to  take  free  nitrogen 
from  the  air  and  convert  it  into  nitrates.  It  is 
well  to  remember  that  white  beans  and  sand  peas 
will  grow  in  the  poorest  of  soils,  and  that  crimson 
clover  is  a  good  cover  crop.*  Therefore,  if  you 
have  almost  to  construct  a  good  soil,  plant  beans, 
and  later  turn  them  in.f  Buckwheat  is  a  good 
crop  for  poor  soils.  Crops  with  tap  roots  help 
to  keep  the  soil  open. 

The  prime  object  is  to  make  a  soil  that  shall  be 
fertile,  fine  and  friable, — in  one  word  ''mellow,'' — 
and  further  to  so  control  and  utilize  the  natural 
water  supply  in  the  earth  that  the  chemical  com- 
pounds in  the  soil  shall  be  held  in  suspension 
in  the  water  films.  This  is  absolutely  essential 
where  an  artificial  water  supply,  by  hydrant  or 
irrigation,  is  not  possible.     In  aiming  for  a  fine 

♦The  reason  for  a  cover  crop  is  three-fold:  to  keep  soils  from 
washing  away  (as  down  hillsides);  to  keep  their  soluble  foods  from 
leaching  out;   and  to  add  enrichment  when  used  as  green  fertilizers. 

t  In  localities  adapted  to  them  cow-peas  are  excellent  for  this 
purpose. 

96 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

cultivation  of  the  ground,  remember  that,  at  the 
rate  of  making  two  inches  every  ten  years  of  the 
finest  and  most  fertile  top-soil,  earthworms  or 
angle  worms  are  trying  to  help,  and  do  not  despise 
them.*  Encourage  them  in  the  garden  and  do  not 
neglect  the  lesson  that  these  little  ploughmen 
teach.  They  digest  earth  and  vegetable  food 
through  their  strong,  muscular  bodies,  and 
literally  grind  out  a  new,  rich  soil.  The  large 
stretches  of  velvety  turf  that  one  drives  over  in 
approaching  Stonehenge  in  the  south  of  England, 
as  well  as  the  partially  buried  stones,  testify  to 
their  industry  through  long  centuries. 

Exhausted  soils  teach  the  old  lesson,  that  you 
cannot  have  your  cake  and  eat  it,  too.  Plants 
cannot  take  large  supplies  out  of  the  soil  without 
exhausting  it.  Therefore  if  the  school  garden  is  to 
devour  plant  supplies,  intensive  farming,  or  the 
constant  supply  of  fertilizers  each  season  and  often 
during  the  season  must  be  practiced,  as  is  done 
in  truck  farming  where  many  successive  crops 
are  repeatedly  raised  upon  the  same  area. 

in  order  to  preserve  soil  moisture,  dry  farming 
is  followed.  By  it  all  moisture  within  about  ten 
feet  of  the  surface  of  the  ground  may  be  called 

♦  tarthworms  in  flower  pots  and  window  boxes  arc  undesirable 
because  their  burrows  allow  water  to  run  through  the  pot  or  box  too 
rapidly.  Watering  the  plant  with  lime  water — a  handful  or  5  inch 
lump  of  quicklime  to  a  2  quart  pitcher  of  water — will  destroy  them. 
An  interesting  experiment  is  to  have  a  quantity  of  earth  where  the 
work  of  the  worms  can  be  watched;  they  can  be  fed  with  fresh  grass, 
onion  stalks,  or  even  raw  meat.  See  Darwin  on  Earthworms. 
8  97 


AMONG   SCHOOL    GARDENS 

into  use,  and  the  greater  part  of  that  due  to 
rains  or  heavy  dews  can  be  preserved.  Two 
simple  experiments  will  determine  approximately 
the  moisture  conditions  of  the  proposed  garden. 
The  illustration  shows  the  apparatus,  a  set  of 
chimneys  in  a  rack,  their  lower  openings  covered 
with    cheese-cloth.      Soils   of  different    textures 


r.^^ 


Device  for  Experiments  with  Soil 


are  placed  to  the  same  height  in  the  chimneys. 
The  porosity  of  diflferent  soils  is  shown  by  the 
rapidity  with  which  the  same  amount  of  water 
poured  in  each  chimney  passes  through  its  con- 
tents, and  their  power  of  absorption  by  the  amount 
absorbed  in  passing.  The  capillarity  of  the  soil 
may  be  shown  by  reversing  the  experiment,  and 

98 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

with  the  ends  of  the  chimneys  resting  in  water, 
allowing  the  water  to  creep  up  through  the  dry 
soils.  Notice  how  long  it  will  take  water  to  creep 
up  through  six  inches  of  good  soil;  how  long  to 
pass  down  through  it. 

The  modification  of  the  porous  quality  of  soils 
is  accomplished  by  the  same  means  used  in  chang- 
ing clay  to  sandy  soils  or  the  reverse.  The  capil- 
larity of  soils  is  modified  by  these  same  changes 
which  make  the  soils  more  close  or  open,  as  may 
be  required.  But  in  the  best  of  soils,  capillarity 
has  to  be  checked  so  as  to  keep  down  near  the 
roots  the  ground  moisture  and  to  prevent  its  rise 
to  the  surface  and  its  escape  by  evaporation.  The 
simplest  means  is  by  dry  farming;  that  is,  by  a 
dust  mulch  or  dust  blanket  which  is  a  covering 
of  loose,  fine  earth  from  two  to  three  inches  deep 
over  the  whole  surface  of  cultivated  plots.  It 
should  be  frequently  renewed  over  small  areas  by 
the  hand  plough,  or  by  the  use  of  hoe  and  rake, 
or  by  the  cultivating  stick,  and  always  as  soon 
after  rain  or  even  heavy  dew  as  the  ground  is 
workable.*  "In  general,  soil  should  not  contain 
more  than  60  per  cent  of  its  water-holding  capacity; 
/.  e.  at  least  two-fifths  of  the  spaces  should  be 
occupied  by  air." 

Where  natural  manure  cannot  be  obtained, 
resort  must  be  had  to  commercial  fertilizers. 
Sometimes,   however,   street   sweepings   may   be 

♦  Over  large  tracts  of  land  by  the  horse  or  steam  plow  set  to  the 
required  depth  with  care  to  avoid  cutting  roots. 

99 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Utilized,  especially  those  gathered  immediately 
after  the  snow  of  winter  has  gone.  They  con- 
tain some  manure  mixed  with  a  soft  muck,  rich 
in  humus,  that  has  sifted  through  the  snow. 
There  is  more  than  one  successful  school  garden 
whose  only  available  fertilizer  was  such  street 
refuse.  Some  people  object  to  such  material  as 
containing  too  many  weed  seeds.  Undoubtedly 
there  are  a  great  many,  because  no  food  for  horses 
can  be  wholly  free  from  them,  and  birds  also 
carry  and  drop  them.  Such  means  are  among 
nature's  methods  for  spreading  green  things  over 
the  earth.  But  cultivation  and  thorough  weeding 
during  the  first  six  or  eight  weeks  of  a  school 
garden  should  leave  it  in  such  condition  as  to 
require  very  little  attention  during  the  long  sum- 
mer vacation.  The  several  days'  work  scattered 
through  the  summer,  or  a  few  minutes  each  day  by  a 
paid  attendant  will  give  the  garden  a  presentable 
appearance  and  a  fair  showing  of  fall  crops  when 
school  begins  and  harvest  days  are  at  hand. 

There  is  a  city  backyard  garden  45  x  100  feet 
that  twenty  years  ago,  at  the  death  of  the  master 
of  the  house,  had,  besides  hardy  perennials  and 
a  variety  of  annuals  and  roses,  more  than  four 
hundred  species  of  wild  flowers.  During  a  period 
of  perhaps  a  dozen  years,  flowers  had  been  col- 
lected from  the  country  round  about.  The  owner 
was  a  well-known  scientist  and  botany  was  his 
side  interest.  Each  plant  had  been  carefully 
taken  up  with  a  ball  of  earth  so  large  as  not  to 

100 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

disturb  its  roots  or  make  it  miss  its  native  environ- 
ment. It  had  been  transplanted  into  a  shady  or 
sunny  corner  of  the  yard  best  suited  to  its  nature. 
The  garden  even  at  the  time  of  the  owner's 
death  was  an  old  one,  laid  out  in  quaint  box- 
bordered  beds  by  an  old  Scotchman,  who  so  thor- 
oughly understood  the  value  of  fine  soil  that  it 
became  a  saying  that  "there  wasn't  a  spoonful  of 
earth  in  the  whole  garden  that  hadn't  been  sifted 
between  grandfather's  thumb  and  forefinger." 
For  twenty  years  no  attempt  was  made  to  re- 
place plants  that  died.  Yet,  today  at  least  a 
dozen  species  of  ferns  and  probably  eighty  kinds 
of  wild  plants  may  be  found  there. 

For  forty  years  it  has  been  a  household  tradi- 
tion that  from  blossoming  of  earliest  hepatica  or 
crocus  until  frost,  there  should  be  continual 
bloom  among  its  hardy  perennials  and  annuals, 
in  the  many  changes  during  those  years,  it 
has  sometimes  happened  that  the  beauty  of 
the  garden  could  be  preserved  only  by  a  woman's 
spading  it  from  end  to  end.  It  was  never  suf- 
fered to  become  a  tangle,  though  sometimes  for 
consecutive  years  it  has  had  to  go  without 
fertilizer.  It  was  for  many  years  kept  in  order 
by  the  labor  of  a  gardener  hired  for  three 
days  each  spring  and  fall  and  by  the  frequent 
half-hour  periods  of  weeding  that  could  be  given 
by  one  almost  an  invalid.  In  its  earliest  days, 
its  bloom  took  prizes  at  the  county  fairs,  and  to- 
day, surrounded  by  city  houses,  the  neighborhood 

101 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

children  call  it  Maplewood  Park,  ask  to  walk 
about  it  or,  with  their  dolls,  to  sit  upon  its  two 
settles  to  enjoy  its  flowers  and  watch  its  minia- 
ture pond,  where  grow,  and  early  grew,  the  first 
pink  pond  lilies  in  that  section  of  the  country. 
The  Department  of  Public  Works  or  its  good- 
natured  employes  may  be  induced  to  give  street 
sweepings  to  your  garden.  They  should  be  piled 
or  spread  with  a  loose  covering  of  earth,  or  if 
need  be  of  lime.  If  piled,  wet  them  down  a 
little  and  leave  them  a  few  days  to  ripen.  The 
covering  will  prevent  the  breeding  of  pernicious 
flies.*  Before  school  gardens  were  heard  of,  we 
have  occasionally  seen  boys  gathering  into  home- 
made carts  street  refuse  to  fertilize  their  own,  or 
more  likely  their  father's,  small  backyard  gardens. 
Recently,  in  crowded  lower  New  York,  I  watched 
a  small  boy  with  a  pointed  stick  industriously 
spearing  street  manure  with  a  businesslike  grav- 
ity that  boded  ill  to  the  urchin  who  interfered 
with  him  or  guyed  him.  The  little  collector  had 
learned  that  it  was  filth  only  as  it  lay  in  the 
street  breeding  flies  and  disease.  He  had  also 
learned  that,  in  the  wise  economy  of  nature,  though 
manure  was  a  waste  product,  it  was  in  itself 
full  of  rich  food  for  the  plants  in  his  garden 
which  if  well  nourished  would  grow  into  nutritious 
fruits  and  bright  flowers. 

*  Some  day,  show  a  fly's  foot  under  the  microscope  or  an  en- 
larged drawing  of  it.  Emphasize  the  fact  that  it  can  carry  typhoid 
and  other  disease  germs  and  urge  the  humane  killing  of  the  fly. 

102 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

To  replace  with  suitable  words  as  symbols  of  clear 
and  true  ideas  the  street  gamin's  vocabulary  is  a 
part  of  the  school  gardener's  business.  It  is  not 
always  to  be  done  by  direct  teaching.  As  Doctor 
Richard  Hodge  once  said  before  a  mother's 
meeting,  when  talking  about  teaching  religion 
to  children  below  the  age  of  adolescence,  "  You 


Hauling  Street  Sweepings,  Louisville,  Ky. 


are  not  to  teach  religion  directly  to  little  children 
but  as  a  natural  and  inevitable  by-product  of 
what  you  do  teach  and  the  way  you  teach." 

In  villages  and  rural  districts  several  different 
kinds  of  animal  manure  may  be  offered  as  fer- 
tilizers.    They    vary    in    fertilizing    value,*    but 

♦  See  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  21,  Farmyard  Manures. 
103 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Stress  upon  their  relative  heating  capacity  is  the 
more  important.  I  n  passing,  perhaps  there  should 
be  a  word  of  caution  about  using  any  of  them 
that  have  been  allowed  to  lie  too  long  exposed  to 
sun  and  rain  so  that  their  soluble  constituents, 
especially  their  nitrates,  may  have  leached  into 
the  ground  and  their  other  nitrogen  compounds 
may  have  passed  into  the  air  in  the  well-known 
ammonia  fumes.  Neither  should  any  fertilizer 
be  allowed  to  become  corrupted  by  mold  or  spores 
of  toadstool  or  mushroom.  In  one  instance  that 
came  under  the  author's  observation,  a  florist 
lost  two-fifths  of  a  crop  of  greenhouse  roses,  mean- 
ing hundreds  of  dollars  in  lost  sales  and  cost  of  coal, 
because  his  son  hastily  selected  a  pile  of  manure 
and  mixed  it  with  the  fall  supply  of  earth  for  the 
greenhouse  benches.  The  boy  had  been  sent  to 
inspect  the  manure  before  purchasing.  He  had 
arrived  at  dusk  of  a  fall  day  and  visited  the  heap 
with  a  lantern.  His  hasty  examination  of  it  satis- 
fied him.  He  paid  for  it,  had  it  carted  home,  and 
had  it  in  the  greenhouse  before  his  father  discovered 
spores  of  mushrooms.  The  older  man  had  picked 
up  his  knowledge  of  flowers.  He  thought  he  would 
better  take  the  risk  than  lose  time,  labor  and 
money.  In  the  end,  it  was  an  expensive  decision. 
Among  manures,  that  from  cows  is  known  as 
cold.*     Hen  manure  is  very  hot  and  should  always 

*  It  contains  the  largest  per  cent  of  water  (75.3)  while  sheep  ma- 
nure has  less  (59.5  per  cent)  and  hen,  least  (56  per  cent).  These  last 
two  may  have  the  same  amount  of  nitrogen,  nearly  twice  that  of  cows. 

104 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

have  a  large  admixture  of  earth.  The  sheep 
droppings  in  the  large  stock  yards  are  regularly 
swept  and  put  on  the  market  in  25  cent  boxes  or  at 
|2per  100  pounds.  Sometimes  they  are  pulverized. 
The  nuggets  are  apt  to  be  fresher.  On  very 
small  areas  and  in  window  gardening,  sheep  ma- 


•'Mv  Gardkn   Did  Its  Best.  " 

nure  is  perhaps  the  easiest,  cleanest  and  best  fer- 
tilizer to  handle.  It  can  be  used  for  indoor  gar- 
dening, dry,  one  part  to  six  of  soil,  or  in  liquid 
form,  I  pound  to  5  gallons  of  water,  and  sprayed. 
The  up-to-date  farmer  saves  all  liquid  manure, 
for  it  is  specially  rich  in  nitrates,  as  the  function 
of  the  kidneys  is  to  carry  off  all  excess  of  proteid 

105 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

or  nitrogenous  matter.*  Consequently  all  liquid 
manures  must  be  largely  diluted  with  water,  and 
all  commercial  nitrates,  either  made  into  a  weak 
solution  or  as  solids,  must  be  used  most  sparingly. 
No  commercial  fertilizer  should  ever  touch  the 
seeds  or  roots  but  should  be  thoroughly  mixed 
with  fine,  loose  earth. 

Seedsmen  and  nursery  men  frequently  sell  an 
all  round  or  "general  fertilizer."  For  school 
garden  experiments  of  small  area,  it  is  better  to 
buy  separate  fertilizers,  as  nitrate  of  soda  for  the 
nitrates,  wood  ashes  for  potash,  and  ground  bone 
for  the  phosphates,  mixing  them  when  necessary 
and  just  before  use  so  as  not  to  lose  the  more 
volatile  elements.  The  reason  is  founded  on  a 
rough  rule:  feed  nitrates  for  leafage  and  rapid 
growth;  potash  for  root  and  fruit  crops,  intensity 
of  color  and  increase  in  bloom;  and  phosphates 
for  early  maturity  and  plump  seeds.  Another 
rule  is  that  commercial  fertilizers,  like  tonics, 
give  quicker  results,  while  natural  fertilizers  give 
a  slow,  steady  food  supply  throughout  the  season, 
and  by  their  physical  properties  improve  the 
soil  for  all  time.f 

Plants  often  profit  by  a  little  extra  feeding  at 
the  start.     Sickly  plants  and  some  others  need  a 

*  It  is  also  rich  in  potash.  It  contains  from  three  to  five  times  as 
much  nitrate  and  about  nine  times  as  much  potash  as  the  solid 
manures  which  hold  by  far  the  larger  percentage  of  phosphates. 

t  Fertilizers  may  be  rushed  on  for  leafage  crops  and  these  rotated 
with  seed  or  grain  crops  the  following  year  and  these  again  by  clover 

1 06 


SOIL    FERTILITY 

special  diet.  The  two  classes  of  fertilizers  are 
often  combined  by  using  the  natural  fertilizer  as 
the  general  food  for  the  whole  garden,  and  by 
adding  in  the  row  a  small  amount  of  special  fer- 
tilizer; for  example,  a  pint  of  ground  bone  or 
bone  meal  to  a  ten-foot  row  of  peas,  is  mixed 
thoroughly  in  the  bottom  of  a  four-inch  trench  and 
covered  with  a  light  layer  of  soil,  before  the  peas 
are  planted,  so  as  to  give  them  a  good  start. 

Of  some  seventeen  elements  required  for  plant 
structure,  about  half  a  dozen  are  all-important. 
For  the  needed  small  quantities  of  the  others, 
the  plant  may  be  left  to  shift  for  itself.  Of  the 
important  ones,  oxygen  comes  from  the  air,  from 
water  and  from  chemical  disintegration.  From 
the  chemical  separation  of  water  comes  hydrogen. 
Nitrogen  has  been  accounted  for.  From  50  to 
90  per  cent  of  the  food  of  plants  is  taken  from  the 
air,  and  three-fourths  of  that  percentage  is  carbon 
derived  from  carbonic  acid  gas.  Potash  and 
phosphates  come  from  decaying  animal  and 
vegetable  matter  and  from  the  fertilizers  used. 
Lime,  iron,  sulphur  and  magnesium  are  indispens- 
able.* They  usually,  however,  exist  in  sufficient 
quantities  in  the  soil,  and  are  found  in  some 
measure  in  the  fertilizers  discussed. 

or  leguminous  plants.  Never  use  nitrate  upon  these  nitrate  making 
factories. 

Commercial  fertilizers  are  better  used  on  clay  soils  for  they  are 
not  as  liable  to  be  washed  out  and  the  chemical  action  they  set  up 
disintegrates  the  clay  particles. 

♦Osterhout,  W.  J.  V.:  Experiments  With  Plants,  p.  139. 
107 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

One  who  understands  the  nature  of  the  soil  to  be 
dealt  with,  and  knows  how  to  improve  it  can  fol- 
low intelligently  the  cultural  directions  on  nearly 
all  seed  packets  or  in  catalogues  of  plants.* 
No  theoretical  knowledge,  no  word  knowledge,  can 
ever  take  the  place  of  practical  experience,  but  it 
can  materially  help  to  prevent  gross  errors.  First, 
last  and  always,  give  your  plants  plenty  of  soluble 
food  and  keep  their  feet  dry.  Very  few  love 
any  approach  to  a  swamp.  Give  them  good 
soil  conditions.  ''Tillage,"  or  cultivation,  "is 
the  stirring  of  the  soil  in  order  to  improve  it." 
Thorough  tillage,  whether  with  plough,  hoe, 
or  cultivating  stick,  means  to  kill  weeds;  to 
pulverize  the  soil  that  it  may  be  open  and  uni- 
form in  texture;  to  create  air  spaces;  to  widen 
pasturage  for  roots;  to  conserve  moisture;  to 
admit  sunlight  and  warmth;  to  admit  rain,  with 
its  solvent  foods;  to  cause  organic  matter  to  be- 
come humus;  to  turn  over  soil  that  its  bacteria 
may  better  work  upon  it;  in  short,  to  create 
finely  divided,  nutritious,  soluble  soil  particles. 

*  See  list  of  plants  for  nearly  all  soil  conditions  and  all  sorts  of 
places,  in  Appendix  A,  Note  7. 


108 


CHAPTER  IV 
COST  OF  EQUIPMENT 


CHAPTER  IV 
COST  OF  EQUIPMENT 

"A  school  yard  planted  by  a  gardener  is  good  if  the  work  can  be 
done  in  no  other  way,  but  the  one  that  best  serves  its  educational 
value  is  planted  by  children,  no  matter  how  small  the  ground  or  how 
crude  the  result.  It  is  in  such  a  garden  that  moral  teaching  is  ac- 
complished."— B.  T.  Galloway. 

A  small  boy  in  Massachusetts  wrote  "  I  took  an  axe  and  made  the 
earth  fine  and  with  the  coal  shovel  turned  all  over  and  over  until  it 
was  all  mixed  together." — Letter  to  the  head  of  the  Children's 
Department.  James  Vick's  Sons. 

"The  children  cleared  up  the  rubbish  and  tackled  the  soil  with 
any  old  thing  they  could  lay  hands  on." 

THE  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  to  give  data 
for  a  fair  estimate  when  computing  an 
appropriation  for  a  garden;  to  suggest  a 
possible  minimum  cost;  and  to  urge  beginning 
a  garden  on  even  less  where  there  is  a  courage- 
ous, intelligent  enthusiast  to  watch  over  it.  The 
chapter  will  also  include  some  consideration  of  the 
use  and  care  of  tools. 

The  illustrations  of  an  eighteen  cent  flower 
garden  show  that  seeds  need  not  cost  much. 
Government  seeds  sent  upon  school  requests  have 
been  spoken  of,  but  whether  the  garden  is  in  con- 
nection with  a  school  or  not,  it  is  better  not  to 
depend  upon  such  aid  entirely;  better  to  have  the 


AMONG   SCHOOL    GARDENS 

national  government  associated  in  the  child's  mind 
as  a  willing  helper  in  garden  work  rather  than  as  a 
lavish  provider.  Whether  seeds  shall  be  provided 
free  or  bought  by  the  children,  is  often  a  question 
of  local  circumstances.  Assuming  the  old  maxim 
*'pay  as  you  go''  to  be  a  very  sound  one,  the 


/^ 

-— r- 

k 

O 

\     \ 

1  ; 
/  . 

-  a  - 

r  --<---T 
,    r-»-T    • 

iHii 

1  1  <  1  1 

1    ;    [    1    1 
J    '    I    '    1 

D 

_J  !     ; 

1^ 1| 

Chart  of  an  Eighteen  Cent  Garden 


1.  Mari<;oi.ds 

2.  Bachelor's  Buttons 

3.  Four  o'Clocks 

4.  Asters 

F.  Beans 


A.  Phlox  7.  Zinnias 

5.  China  Pinks  C.  Lettuce 

B.  Balsam  D.  Red  Beet 

6.  Poppies  E.  Peas 

G.  Carrots 


penny  packet,  now  put  up  by  a  number  of  garden 
associations  and  several  of  the  leading  seedsmen, 
makes  both  the  flower  and  vegetable  seeds  for  a 


1 12 


u 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

small  garden  come  within  an  eager  child's  dime. 
His  enthusiasm,  however,  should  be  backed  by 
intelligent  supervision  and  training.  Enthusiasm 
alone  or  even  with  cash  will  not  bring  sure  re- 
sults. The  teacher  must  have  definite  knowl- 
edge of  the  needs  of  plants.  In  its  far  reaching 
results,  it  is  almost  a  crime  to  make  a  child 
work  hard  only  to  have  him  disappointed  because 
of  some  fault  or  error  in  the  garden  work  which  the 
teacher  should  have  known  how  to  avoid. 

Let  us  then  consider  some  estimates  of  what  a 
year's  work  costs.  Two  expenses  loom  up  in  con- 
nection with  the  yearly  maintenance  of  every  gar- 
den. They  are  those  for  the  preparation  of  the 
ground,  including,  of  course,  plowing  and  fertiliz- 
ing, and  those  for  salaries.  The  cost  of  seeds,  plants 
and  other  garden  supplies  (exclusive  of  tools)  and 
of  the  material  for  nature  study,  need  not  be  great. 
Even  rental  of  land  is  usually  not  much  more 
than  enough  tocover  its  taxes.  There  remain,  as  large 
initial  expenses,  tools,  fencing,  some  kind  of  shelter 
under  which  to  hold  classes  and  conduct  work,  and 
the  installing  of  a  water  supply.  Locality,  con- 
dition of  soil,  size  of  garden  and  the  measure  of  its 
equipment*  will  all  enter  into  an  estimate  of  its 
cost.  Yet  one  can  perhaps  gain  some  idea  to  base 
an  estimate  upon  from  the  following  data. 

♦  Germany  suggests  that  the  size  of  a  garden  to  serve  the  purpose 
of  instruction  be  i  acre:  if  to  include  playground,  at  least  J  acre. 

A  garden  of  §  acre  (5445  sq.  feet)  large  enough  for  a  country  school, 
may  contain  perennial  and  annual  flower  borders,  class,  sample  and 
experimental  plots,  kitchen  garden,  forest  and  fruit  nursery. 

•'3 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Including  every  expense  of  the  garden  and  al- 
lowing for  five  hundred  individual  plots,  lo  x  i6 
feet,  together  with  a  fair  number  of  sample  plots, 
on  a  tract  of  three  and  one-half  acres,  one  of  the 
finest  gardens  in  the  country  asks  from  the  friends 
who  support  it  I5.00  per  child  per  season  of  five 
months  and  estimates  that  the  crop  from  each 
garden  will  return  $5.00  or  more  to  each  gardener 
in  vegetables  alone.  This  garden  is  in  New  York 
state  and  its  staff  consists  of  a  superintendent, 
two  assistant  teachers,  a  laborer  and  two  assist- 
ants whose  duty  it  is  to  give  out  the  daily  record 
books  to  the  children,  sometimes  tools,  such 
seeds  as  they  may  need,  to  keep  the  attendance, 
and  sundry  like  duties.  The  National  Cash 
Register  Company  when  its  boys'  beds  were  10 
X  170  feet  (now  they  are  10  x  100)  figured  that  for 
70  boys  the  expenses  of  keeping  the  land  in  order, 
hiring  a  gardener  and  making  some  display  of 
flowers  apart  from  the  children's  beds  was  I3500 
a  year. 

A  number  of  the  estimates  that  follow  are  for 
gardens  already  established  and  used  during  the 
spring  term  of  the  school  year  and  for  perhaps 
several  weeks  in  the  fall.  They  do  not  include 
the  initial  cost  of  tools,  or  even  fertilizer.*  Toledo, 
Ohio,  aside  from  the  question  of  salary,  figures  that 
a  school  garden  of  one  acre  in  extent  with  300  indi- 
vidual plots  (2x5  feet  or  5  X  6  feet)  can  be  run 
for  six  months  each  year  at  an  annual  cost  of  $25. 

*  Government  seeds  may  be  used  in  some  cases. 
114 


COST  OF    EQUIPMENT 

The  same  amount,  of  which  the  Canadian  govern- 
ment grants  $20,  is  estimated  to  cover  the  running 
expenses  of  one  (and  probably  most)  of  the 
Macdonald  school  gardens,  having  126  individual 
plots,  5  X  10  feet,  where  the  principal  of  the 
school  and  the  regular  teachers  conduct  the  garden 
work.*  Here  in  the  summer,  a  janitor  or  laborer 
has  general  charge  of  the  garden  in  connection 
with  his  other  duties.  In  South  Dakota  an 
estimate  of  I40  per  year,  exclusive  of  salary,  is 
given  for  a  garden  where  work  is  done  on  from 
35  to  40  group  plots  of  10  X  20  feet  each.  Texas, 
for  gardens  of  from  one  to  two  acres  in  connection 
with  some  of  her  rural  schools,  figures  the  annual 
cost  of  maintenance  at  from  $10  to  $25.  Some 
other  estimates,  such  as  one  from  New  Jersey, 
figure  the  cost  per  plot  as  30  cents  per  season  and 
its  return  as  60  cents.  At  this  rate  350  plots  in 
a  half  acre  lot  would  make  the  garden  total 
$105  for  the  season.  Another  garden  in  the  same 
state  figures  its  running  expenses  for  38  class  plots 
as  $5.00  each  per  season,  while  an  Indiana  esti- 
mate was  $1.00  per  plot  having  six  square  feet. 
A  Connecticut  town  supports  a  garden  45  x  80 
feet,  under  volunteer  teachers,  for  I30  per  year, 
giving  20  boys  beds  large  enough  to  return  crops 
of  approximately  $4.00  each  in  value.  Stockton, 
California,  in  a  garden  60  x  1 50  feet  with  beds 
3x12  feet  for  children  of  the  first,  second  and 

♦  Fertilizer  provided  by  College  of  Agriculture.     Many  of  the  seeds 
are  grown  by  the  children. 

'•5 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

third  grades,  estimates  the  cost  at  37J  cents 
per  plot.  A  garden  of  an  acre  on  the  fertile  soil 
of  one  of  our  rich  western  states,  which  required 
considerable  grading  and  which  paid  its  instructor 
$100  for  the  vacation  work,  furnished  eight  class 
plots  and  90  individual  ones  at  a  cost  of  about 
I500  for  the  first  year.  Its  little  farms  returned 
from  I2.50  to  I5.00  each.  Another  garden  in  the 
same  state  having  400  individual  plots,  4x10  feet, 
and  25  class  or  sample  plots,  costs  I475  per  season, 
including  its  proportional  part  of  the  salary  paid 
for  a  regular  instructor  in  agriculture,  and  also 
gives  from  each  little  plot  over  I5.00  worth  of 
vegetables.  In  the  less  fertile  east,  $650  covered 
the  cost  of  75  plots,  10  X  20  feet,  yielding  in  the 
second  year  average  crops  of  $4.00  value. 

Here  is  a  detailed  estimate  for  the  first  year  of  a 
school  garden,  one  section  of  which  replaced  a 
rubbish  heap  on  an  unsightly  vacant  lot  in  a  good 
residential  section  of  an  Ohio  town.  The  work 
required  from  the  instructors  was  during  the  hours 
from  8  to  10  a.  m.;  and  that  from  children  in  each 
division  was  two  to  four  hours  per  week.  A  fee 
of  25  cents  was  charged  each  child.  The  work 
was  started  under  the  direction  of  a  special  teacher, 
assisted  by  the  grade  teachers.  It  was  continued 
through  vacation  under  the  direction  of  the  super- 
intendent assisted  by  the  janitor,  and  completed 
under  the  direction  of  the  building  principal. 
The  garden  was  divided  into  four  sections:  East 
(individual  beds  5  x  24  feet) ;   West  (7  x  23  feet) ; 

ii6 


COST   OF    EQUn>MENT 

North  (7  X  45  feet.) ;  South  (9  x  42  feet).    Of  these, 

the  East  contained   14  plots,  the  West   12,  the 

North  12,  and  the  South  10,  making  a  total  of  48 

beds.     The  average  age  of  the  children  was  eleven 

years.     Premiums,  known  as  the  St.  Clair  prizes, 

were  given.     The  net  cost  of  the  garden  was  as 

follows: 

Plowing f  1 5.00 

Taxes  or  rental 30.00 

Seeds  and  plants 3700 

Wear  and  tear  on  tools ....     5.00  (Estimated) 
Incidentals,    such    as    re- 
moval of  trash 4.00 

I91.00 

Deducting  fees  paid  by  the  little  gardeners,  $1 1 .75, 
made  a  net  total  of  $79.25,  or  a  cost  per  pupil  of 
$1.65.* 

♦  The  average  per  garden,  deducting  the  St.  Clair  prizes,  was 
I55.05.  The  average  for  the  pupils  in  vegetables  raised  was  I4.64. 
The  number  of  pupils  raising  less  than  |io  from  the  garden  was  nine. 
These  results  itemized  are  as  follows: 


yegetahUs  St.  Clair      Vegetables 
sold           prices       used  at  home 

IVinter 

stored 

West  Garden I70.13 

South  Garden. .  .  .  86.29 
East  Garden   ....    27.c)6 
North  Garden.  .  .  .   63.81 

Total $248.19 

I44.66          I475            1 14.75 

69.49            9-25                5'o 
20.01              1.50                3.45 
39.34           10.00                5.91 

15-97 
2-45 
voo 
8.56 

This  garden  estimate  omits  salaries  and  the  cost  of  tools  and 
fertilizer.  An  estimate  of  the  latter  might  be  I1.50  per  load  in  most 
places  or  100  pounds  commercial  fertilizer  per  100  plots  5x10  feet. 
In  many  cases  street  sweepings  are  furnished  by  the  city. 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Sometimes,  some  one  interested  in  school  gar- 
dens, having  faith  that  a  first  year  garden  will 
establish  itself  as  a  precedent  and  win  friends  to 
support  it  with  a  salaried  teacher  in  succeeding 
years,  can  be  found  to  give  his  or  her  services  as 
instructor  for  several  days  each  week.  Again, 
the  salary  can  be  divided  among  several  communi- 
ties, as  is  now  done  where  a  teacher  of  drawing,  or 
manual  training,  takes  charge  of  the  work  in  a 
group  of  schools  or  in  those  of  neighboring  towns. 
Frequently,  where  school  gardens  are  started  in 
connection  with  schools,  the  question  of  salary  is 
disposed  of  because  the  work  is  divided  among  the 
teachers.  So,  too,  the  need  sometimes  for  a  man's 
strength  about  the  garden  can  be  met  by  employ- 
ing the  janitor,  or  hiring  a  laborer,  or  utilizing  the 
volunteer  help  of  the  larger  boys  instead  of  paying 
a  gardener  the  average  salary  of  $60  per  month. 

The  question  of  salaries  aside,  the  next  most 
costly  items  are  fencing,  preparation  of  ground, 
and  tools.  Where  it  is  necessary  to  guard  against 
depredation,  a  fence  of  some  sort,  an  open  fence, 
is  necessary.  It  should  be  open,  whatever  its 
material,  so  that  the  garden  can  easily  be  seen  and 
may  become  an  object  of  interest  to  the  com- 
munity. A  hedge  is  preferable  where  it  will 
serve,  and  is  cheaper  than  an  iron  fence.  While 
the  hedge  is  growing,  there  may  be  guard  rails 
to  protect  both  it  and  the  garden.  If  these  are 
angular  instead  of  flat  or  round,  the  hedge  will 
be  safer  from  the  swinging  feet  or  the  falls  of  those 

118 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

who  might  find  the  rail  a  good  perch  or  resting 
place.  There  are  many  low  priced  wire  fences  on 
the  market.  The  cheapest  that  I  have  seen  and 
one  that  served  well  its  purpose  was  a  5  foot  woven 


Fourth  Grade  Boys  Fixing  FtNCE,  Normal  School, 
Louisville.  Ky. 


wire  fence  (close  mesh  for  a  foot  from  the  ground) 
stretched  on  round  posts  at  the  corners  and  gate- 
way and  on  half  sawed  posts  between.  It  cost 
6  cents  per  running  foot.     This  fence  is  not  orna- 

119 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

mental  but  it  will  last  for  a  term  of  years  and  has 
the  advantage  that  it  can  be  set  wholly  or  in  part 
by  boy  labor.  All  wire  fences  when  festooned 
with  vines  will  lose  much  of  their  ugliness.  A 
serviceable  light  iron  fence  or  one  with  iron  posts 
is  desirable  and  is  an  excellent  investment  when 
the  garden  site  is  sure  to  be  permanent.  Where 
feasible,  let  the  fence  be  low  enough  for  the  plants 
to  be  easily  seen,  or  even  have  a  top  bar  for 
people  to  comfortably  lean  upon  while  they  watch 
the  garden. 

In  regard  to  tools,  in  some  localities  children 
can  be  asked  at  a  pinch  to  furnish  them  from  the 
home  supply,  but  this  is  usually  unsatisfactory  all 
round.  Good  tools  are  expensive,  and  they  must 
be  good  whatever  their  size.  For  many  gardens 
it  is  better  to  get  what  is  known  in  the  trade  as 
ladies'  size.  They  have  shorter  and  slimmer 
handles  which  make  them  easier  for  the  children 
to  grasp.  They  are  not  altogether  desirable  where 
big  boys  are  working  large  size  plots,  but  for  the 
average  child  from  the  sixth  grade  to  the  sixteenth 
year  cultivating  a  plot  from  4x8  feet  to  10  x  60 
feet  or  even  10  x  100  feet  they  will  do  admirably. 
There  should  be  a  few  larger  tools  for  general  use. 

The  ideal  outfit  is  a  hoe,  rake,  weeder  and  line 
for  each  child,  bearing  his  own  number  or  name 
and  having  its  own  place  in  toolhouse  or  shed  or 
nearby  barn  or  cellar.  (Every  garden  should 
have  its  toolhouse  even  if  it  be  only  a  chest  or 
box.)     Hoe  and  rake  should  have  five-foot  handles 

120 


i 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

which  it  is  well  to  mark  off  by  painted  lines  into 
feet  of  which  the  first  shall  be  divided  into  halves 
and  quarters.*  A  longer  handle  in  unskilful 
hands  is  likely  to  ram  one's  neighbor.  Children's 
tools,  except  for  very  little  children  (and  then 
only  if  of  good  make),  are  valueless.  Nor  is  the 
combination  rake  and  hoe  to  be  recommended 
except  in  handling  very  light  soils.  It  is  too 
liable  to  bend  or  break.  Hoes  of  the  heel  shape 
or  "half-moon"  type  are  better  because  they  lack 
sharp,  straight  edges;  with  them  children  are  less 
likely  to  cut  outlying  roots  or  sprawling  vines. 
Rakes  should  not  be  over  a  foot  wide;  better  ten 
inches  with  eight  or  ten  teeth  so  as  to  move  easily 
between  rows  planted  but  a  foot  apart. 

There  is  one  rule  which  should  be  vigilantly 
and  eternally  and  omnipresently  enforced:  No 
child  should  be  allowed  to  lay  down  hoe  or  rake 
except  with  its  edges  or  teeth  resting  on  the  ground. 
A  first  lesson  in  the  handling  of  tools  should  en- 
force this  rule.  It  should  be  shown  how  easily 
the  handle  of  either,  if  accidentally  stepped  upon, 
when  the  tool  is  not  face  down  to  earth,  springs 
up  to  strike  any  one  nearby — and  not  always  the 
careless  person.  It  should  also  be  drilled  into 
the  children  that  to  step  on  the  sharp  edge  of  the 
hoe  or  teeth  of  the  rake  is  often  a  painful  thing 
if  one  wears  shoes;  that  it  is  a  dangerous  and  some- 

♦  It  is  better  to  burn  in  the  marks,  which  may  be  done  by  ringing 
them  with  several  strands  of  string  soaked  in  kerosene  and  setting 
them  afire. 

121 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

times  a  fatal  thing  if  one  is  barefoot.  One  little 
gardener  has  paid  for  her  carelessness  with  her 
life. 

Weeders  may  be  had  at  from  15  to  25  cents. 
The  first  are  often  of  cast  iron  and  apt  to  break. 
The  small  weeding  forks  are  excellent  and  for  little 
children  on  tiny  plots  are  a  sort  of  universal  tool. 
Garden  lines  can  be  made  by  the  boys.  This  set 
of  tools,  hoe,  rake,  line  and  weeder,  will  cost  at  re- 
tail from  $1.00  to  $1.25  for  each  child.  One  might 
also  figure  on  a  watering  can  (preferably  with  the 
long  spout  and  rose  spray*)  for  each  10  children 
where  there  are  50  or  more  working  together,  for  all 
would  not  need  to  use  them  at  the  same  time,  and 
the  garden  hose  could  help  out.  Then,  in  addi- 
tion, except  for  the  grand  days  of  preparation  in 
the  spring  and  fall  (when  more  could  be  borrowed) 
only  a  few  spades  would  be  needed,  one  or  two 
spading  forks  and  shovels,  an  occasional  wheel- 
barrow and  a  garden  tape  of  steel.  Other  tools 
and  the  use  of  those  mentioned  may  be  considered 
later.  After  a  garden  is  once  equipped,  the  ex- 
pense for  repair  of  tools  is  slight,  and  both  repair 
and  methods  of  sharpening  should  be  a  part  of 
the  instruction  among  older  children. 

To  make  an  estimate,  the  surest  way  is  to  figure 
on  the  cost  apart  from  the  instructor's  salary.  One 
might  say,  "  I  want  so  much  money  to  start  a  gar- 
den, and  also,  if  we  have  paid  teachers,  a  reasonable 
salary  such  as  any  fairminded  man  or  assembly  of 

*  See  illustration  opposite  page  231. 
122 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

men  and  women  would  gladly  give  for  good  work." 
Workers  differ,  so  does  the  amount  of  labor,  as 
well  as  the  knowledge  required  of  them.  Here 
is  what  one  writer  says  of  a  supervisor: 

"She  should  be  a  woman  that  is  capable  of 
supervising  and  directing  the  work  of  preparing 
the  ground,  laying  out  the  plots  and  erecting 
buildings,  as  she  will  necessarily  have  to  plan 
the  laying  out  of  the  garden  and  direct  both  chil- 
dren and  work.  Some  knowledge  of  surveying, 
plowing  and  drafting  is  indispensable.  Upon 
the  supervisor  also  falls  the  duty  of  engaging 
workers  and  the  responsibilities  of  overseeing 
each  step.  She  must  make  estimates  and  pur- 
chases of  seeds  and  plants,  and  the  whole  govern- 
ment of  the  practical  gardening  is  to  be  planned  by 
her.  In  addition  to  this,  she  should  give  daily 
nature  study  talks  which  must  be  adapted  to  the 
varying  ages  of  the  children.  As  harvesting 
progresses,  accurate  records  of  produce  per  child, 
the  attendance  of  said  child,  and  the  effect  of 
work  upon  his  physical,  mental  and  moral  being 
must  be  registered.  All  of  these  steps  are  worth 
while  because  gardening  (in  this  country)  is  yet 
in  its  infancy,  and  because  statistics  must  be 
obtained  with  which  to  convince  those  who  are 
as  yet  unwilling  to  embrace  the  idea  of  its  merit. 
Such  individual  records  kept  for  250  children 
to  be  afterward  added,  balanced,  and  the  average 
found,  more  than  fill  the  teacher's  time  during 
the  hours  in  which   the  children  are  at  school. 

123 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Many  interruptions  to  this  work  occur,  in  the 
form  of  visiting  classes,  to  which  the  supervisor 
explains  the  work  of  the  garden.  To  have  seeds 
planted  and  brought  to  maturity  means  an  early 
start  to  the  garden.  The  proper  period  for  a 
garden  is  from  May  1 5  to  October  1 5  in  latitudes 
from  Washington  to  Maine.  The  work  of  the 
supervisor,  however,  begins  the  first  of  May  or 
even  in  April,  with  the  original  planning  and 
plotting  and  extends  until  about  a  week  after  the 
garden  closes.  It  is  only  finished  when  a  record 
of  each  day  of  the  summer's  work  has  been  com- 
pleted.''* 

Such  a  teacher  may  get  $150  per  month  or 
more.  She  should  get  at  least  I125  and  probably 
cannot  be  obtained  for  less  than  $100.  If  she 
has  charge  of  a  system  of  gardens,  that  is  another 
matter.  Such  a  one  does  not  come  under  con- 
sideration in  the  cost  of  starting  the  first  school 
garden  in  a  locality. f  Principals  in  charge  of  a 
garden  or  under  a  general  supervisor,  receive  in 
one  city  $420,  their  work  during  April,  May,  June 
and  September  being  from  9  to  12  and  2  to  5.30, 
while  in  July  and  August  it  is  from  8  a.  m.  to  12.30 
p.  M.  The  season  is  from  April  7  to  October  7. 
Their  assistants  must  be  graduates  of  normal 
schools  or  colleges  of  good  standing.  They  work 
from  3.30  to  5.30  during  April,  May,  June  and 

*  Bennett,  H.  C:  School  Gardening  in  Great  Cities. 
I  Supervisors  of  well  organized  systems  of  gardens  receive  from 
$1200  to  $2000  for  eight  to  ten  months'  service. 

124 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

September,  and  from  8  to  12.30  during  July  and 
August,  for  I240  per  season.  Another  city  pays 
each  principal  |i8  for  a  period  (i.  e.  three  hours' 
work)  for  five  days  each  week  during  the  season, 
and  the  assistants  $12.  In  several  cities,  where 
few  hours  are  required,  a  rate  of  75  cents  per 
hour  is  paid  or  from  I2.25  to  I4.00  per  day. 
Assistant  teachers  for  all-day  work  average  I65 
and  $75  per  month. 

"The  assistant  teacher,  as  a  rule,  is  needed  only 
in  the  afternoons  and  on  Saturdays  during  spring 
and  fall  when  the  children  attend  only  after  school 
hours;  but  during  the  vacation  period,  she  may 
be  needed  for  half  the  day  or  the  entire  day,  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  keeping  the  garden 
open."* 

Evidently  the  matter  of  salary  is  a  local  one, 
which  each  community  must  adjust  to  its  own 
needs  or  purse.  Similarly,  the  question  of  a 
gardener  or  laborer  is  local;  undoubtedly  there 
should  be  one  or  the  other  in  every  large  garden. 

"Trained  teachers  are  more  valuable  than 
agriculturists  without  knowledge  of  pedagogical 
methods.  Teachers  not  versed  in  agriculture  may 
be  supplemented  by  a  gardener;  if,  however, 
teachers  do  understand  gardening,  a  laborer  may 
take   the  gardener's   place.     This   man   occupies 

♦  An  ideal  ratio  of  assistants  to  children  would  be  one  for  every 
seven  or  at  most  ten.     Twenty  or  25  children  is  the  utmost  that 
should  be  in  any  one  class  or  division.     England  forbids  her  teachers 
in  gardening  to  have  more  than  14  children  in  a  class. 
10  ,25 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

an  important  position  in  the  work;  he  supplies 
the  place  of  a  janitor  and  assists  the  children  in 
any  work  that  is  too  heavy  for  them,  such  as 
working  up  earth  with  a  pickaxe  or  managing  a 
50  foot  hose.  During  the  early  summer  and  fall 
when  the  children  are  at  school  most  of  the  day, 
he  acts  as  a  watchman;  and  during  this  time, 
when  weeds  grow  rapidly  and  the  children's  hours 
of  work  are  few,  he  also  assists  in  keeping  the 
garden  clean." 

Such  a  man  may  be  a  necessity  or  a  luxury; 
if  the  first,  count  him  in  your  estimate;  if  a  luxury, 
count  him  out  as  far  as  possible  and  enlist  in  the 
service  the  helpful,  knightly  element  in  your  big 
boys. 

If  the  garden  must  be  started  on  a  small 
appropriation  from  the  school  or  park  officials 
or  on  voluntary  subscriptions,  and  expenses  must 
be  cut  down  to  the  lowest  sum,  cut  them  down  in 
a  dignified  way;  no  cut  rates  or  wages,  whether 
for  laborer  or  teacher.  Moreover,  the  reduction 
would  probably  have  to  come  on  the  teacher's 
salary,  because  of  a  lack  of  appreciation  of  the 
required  services,  and  because  of  union  regulation 
of  laborers'  wages.  "Anybody  can  dig  in  a 
garden"  seems  to  be  the  popular  sentiment. 
Anybody  can  dig,  but  anyone  cannot  grow 
plants,  nor  still  more,  develop  children.  No 
cut  rates,  but  all  the  voluntary  service — if  of  a 
good  intelligent  order — that  can  be  secured.  But 
let  the  matter  be  distinctly  understood  whether 

126 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

the  service  is  wholly  a  freewill  oflfering  or  part  is 
paid  and  the  other  given  for  love  of  the  cause  and 
faith  in  its  demonstrable  value.  In  many  places, 
gardens  must  start  with  just  such  labor.  Hence, 
the  main  purpose  of  this  chapter  is  to  try  to  show 
with  how  little  a  school  garden  can  be  started; 
how  like  the  proverbial  grain  of  mustard  seed  it 
is  in  its  possibilities  of  growth  and  virtue. 


IIazhlwood  Park  School  GARDtN,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 


In  computing  the  cost  of  a  given  garden,  make 
a  good,  sound  estimate,  one  that  will  cover  all 
details  and  leave  a  margin  for  the  unexpected; 
but  if  occasion  requires,  count  in  the  least  possible 
material  as  necessary,  and  count  out  all  that 
could  be  arranged  for,  or  for  which  substitution, 
however  inexpensive  or  humble,  could  be  made. 

127 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

For  example,  land  rental  might  not  have  to  be 
considered  or  might  be  limited  to  paying  taxes 
where  outright  loans  of  the  ground  could  not  be 
obtained.  In  some  localities  fertilizer,  one  of  the 
big  expenses,  might  be  contributed  by  one  or 
more  persons  as  a  gift  or  in  preference  to  a  cash 
contribution.  A  fence,  that  other  considerable 
item,  may  already  exist.  There  must  be  one. 
Without  it,  respect  for  property  and  honesty  will 
be  difficult  to  teach;  impossible  if  outsiders  be- 
come vandals.  In  a  crowded  city,  in  a  tiny  15x8 
foot  garden,  the  boys  made  their  own  picket  fence 
for  the  "  Farmers'  Club,"  so  determined  were  those 
school  children  at  least  to  make  a  beginning.  If  a 
fence  already  exists  and  is  of  solid  boards,  rip  out 
some  of  them  so  that  the  public  may  feel  that  they 
are  invited  to  watch  the  children. 

Again  with  reference  to  expenses,  the  needed 
shelter  and  toolhouse*  may  be  already  provided. 

*  "One  of  the  most  useful  accessories  to  the  school  garden  is  the 
garden  shed,  which  is  useful  for  storing  tools  and  produce,  and  for 
carrying  on  work  not  suited  to  the  classroom,  such  as  preparing 
pickets  and  labels,  analyzing  soils,  assorting  seeds,  arranging  plants, 
etc.  The  average  cost  of  the  garden  sheds  (in  Canada)  is  about  $75. 
A  popular  plan  is  one  10  x  20  feet  with  an  extension  on  one  side  about 
5  feet  wide,  and  finished  as  a  greenhouse.  This  obviates  the  necessity 
of  having  special  hot-beds.  The  garden  tools  are  disposed  along  the 
walls  of  the  shed  in  places  numbered  to  accord  with  the  numbering 
of  the  pupils'  plots.  Along  one  side  of  each  shed  is  a  bench  or  table 
of  plain  boards,  about  18  inches  wide,  running  close  to  the  wall, 
along  which  are  several  small  windows  giving  abundant  light  to 
pupils  engaged  in  practical  work." — Cowley,  R.  H.:  The  Macdonald 
School  Gardens. 

128 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

Moreover,  a  large  piano  box  costing  |i.oo  can  be 
made  weatherproof  and  serviceable  for  the  keeping 
of  tools.  A  I25  tent  can  be  made  to  take  the 
place  of  the  more  costly  portable  house.  A 
shelter  from  the  hot  sunshine  may  be  a  canopy 
of  quickly  growing  vines.*  if  a  tent  is  used,  it 
must  have  a  fly  or  it  will  be  worse  than  a  gridiron 
in  hot  weather,  and  give  little  protection  in  storms. 


Section  of  Wooden  Pergola 


One  can,  perhaps,  get  along  without  a  water 
supply,  but  sometimes  a  4-inch  hydrant  and  hose 
is  almost  a  necessity.  Then  again,  in  many  places 
the  water  supply  is  furnished.  Tools  can  be  les- 
sened in  number  by  giving  different  groups  of 
children  one  kind  of  tool  to  use  at  a  time,  and  ex- 

♦  Posts  driven  into  the  ground  and  connected  by  wires  to  support 
quick  growing  vines  will  form  the  sides  of  a  shelter  that  might  have 
a  double  canvas  and  rainproof  top. 

129 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

changing  for  different  ones  as  their  need  requires. 
There  may  also  be  some  improvised  substitutions. 
Children  enjoy  making  things  for  real  use.  If 
some  of  the  suggested  substitutes  seem  inadequate, 
try  them.  Recall  how  much  more  enjoyment  and 
benefit  there  is  in  the  homemade  toy  or  improvised 
tool  provided  it  does  its  work  well.  Moreover, 
in  several  well  known  cases  school  gardens  that 
nearly  failed  the  first  year,  when  too  much  of 
the  preparatory  work  was  done  for  the  children, 
flourished  the  second  year  when  the  same  children 
felt  the  gardens  to  be  their  very  own  because  they 
had  done  all  the  work  upon  them  that  they  pos- 
sibly could.  Here  is  another  opportunity  to 
lessen  the  expense  of  hired  labor,  particularly  in 
clearing  up.*  A  half  dozen  children  by  the  use  of 
ropes  and  crowbar,  if  wisely  directed,  can  safely 
accomplish  much  clearing  that  might  seem  to 
require  adult  strength.  Equipment  can  be  di- 
vided into  fundamental  and  accessory,  limiting 
the  latter  according  to  the  amount  of  nature 
study,  housewifery  and  elementary  science  that 
is  to  be  undertaken  in  connection  with  the  garden. 
By  substitution,  also,  one  can  lessen  somewhat 
the  cost  of  both  the  fundamental  and  accessory 
material. 

Let  us  consider  a  garden  for  fifty  children.  In 
the  first  place,  if  one  person  is  to  supervise  them, 

*  Sort  the  rubbish  into  piles  of  different  materials.  The  stones  and 
bricks  and  rocks  may  be  handy  for  paving  purposes;  old  wood  for 
carpentry;   old  cans  and  bottles  for  plants  and  experiments. 

130 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

the  pupils  should  be  divided  into  at  least  three 
sections  for  class  or  special  work.  As  soon  as 
convenient,  they  should  be  placed  under  some 
system  of  monitors  or  helpers  or  sub-instructors 
drawn  from  among  themselves.*  This  will  lighten 
the  general  daily  work  of  the  garden. 

It  may  be  well  to  insist  that  such  discipline 
as  is  necessary  should  be  almost  military.  The 
children  like  it  better,  provided  the  spirit  is  not 
that  of  the  martinet,  but  one  of  mutual  help- 
fulness expressed  in  firm,  gentle,  unyielding  yet 
sympathetic  manner.  There  should  be  no  cod- 
dling, no  pets,  no  excessive  demands  upon  the 
child,  no  injustice  through  confusing  the  adult's 
and  the  child's  point  of  view.  There  should  be 
as  little  of  the  school  atmosphere  as  possible,  but 
prompt  obedience  coupled  with  the  utmost  pos- 
sible liberty. 

In  a  first-year  garden  the  individual  beds  would 
probably  be  4x8  feet  or  5  x  10  feet,  with  none  over 
10  X  20  feet.  An  arrangement  could  be  made  to 
accommodate  children  of  varying  ages,  and  in  the 
following  year,  the  garden  could  be  graded  either 
from  the  standpoint  of  size  of  plot  or  from  that 
of  quantity  or  quality  of  work.  The  amount  of 
fundamental  equipment  necessary  would  include 
first  of  all,  spades,  rakes,  hoes,  weeders,  watering 
cans,  and  the  few  other  tools  already  named. 
An  estimate  of  cost  of  the  most  essential  tools 
might  read: 

♦See  report  of  class  secretary,  page  45 

'3' 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

I  dozen  rakes  (8  or  lo  inches  wide, 

to  use  easily  between  rows  one 

foot  apart,  and  with  8  or  lo 

teeth  of  strong  malleable  iron) .  $4.80  pei 
I  dozen  hoes  (Harper's  half  moon 

4  or  5  inch  blade) 4.75    "     " 

I  dozen  weeders — at  25  cents  each 

for  substantial  steel  ones 2.50 

(weeding  irons  can  be  got  at  1 5 

cents  each) 
3  watering  cans — at  I2.00  each 6.00 

(Punch  the  rose  holes  outward 
to  prevent  clogging) 
3  spades  with  foot  guards  at  |i 2  per 

doz 3.00 

Total $2 1 .05 

Several  of  the  best  gardens  allow  50  of  the  first 
three  tools  named  to  300  boys  (that  is,  one  to  six) 
and  find  them  ample  for  daily  use  even  where  there 
is  an  excellent  average  attendance.  This  ratio 
of  one  to  six  gives  a  supply  of  1 50  of  these  tools 
and  there  should  be  in  addition  some  dozen  spades, 
two  dozen  watering  cans  and  a  few  other  imple- 
ments to  draw  upon.  Another  garden  has  40  sets 
of  tools  with  sometimes  60  boys  present.  Com- 
puting in  the  above  ratios  for  the  smaller  garden 
of  50  children,  would  leave  only  about  a  tool  apiece 
should  every  member  be  present  at  the  same  hour. 
But  it  gives  a  full  set  of  three  tools  each  to  every 
child  present,  if  the  children  be  divided  into  work- 

132 


COST  OF    EQUIPMENT 

inp^  groups  of  twelve.     Work  can  be  arranged  so 

t  one  group  can  use  the  weeder  while  another 

the  rake  and  still  another  the  hoe.     But  for 


Good  Tools 


comfort,  the  smaller  garden  would  actually  need  a 
proportionately  larger  number  of  tools,*  so  that 

♦The  Canadian  estimate  is  "for  each  two  children  in  average 
attendance,  a  rake,  hoe,  and  hand  weeder;  for  each  six  a  spade  or 

133 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

it  would  be  better  to  spend  more  for  these  first 
tools,  adding  two  spades,  a  half  dozen  each  of 
rakes  and  hoes,  and  several  weeders.  To  con- 
tinue the  estimate: 

Low  Fuller 

Estimate  Estimate 

For  rakes,  hoes,  weeders  . .  .  .  |2 1 .05        $30.33 

Wheelbarrow,  Boys' size 3.00  3.00 

One  steel  tape,  75  ft 4.75  4.75 

25  feet  rubber  hose 3.00  3.50 

50  note  books  at  2  cents  each     1 .00  i  .00 
Flag,    rollbook,   blackboard, 
hammer,  saw,  nails,  sun- 
dries     10.00           10.00 

50  membership  cards 1.50  1.50 

Stake  and  labels 2.00  2.00 

3  forks,  J  dozen  trowels, 
which  are  $5.00  a  doz...     5.50  5.50 

Seeds  and  plants 20.00  25.00 

Cord,  raffia,  etc.  (cotton 
awning  line  costs  30  cents 
per  lb.  10  lbs.  will  make 
50  garden  lines) 3.00  3.00 

74.80  89.58 

To  these  must  be  added  as  accessory  expense 
at  least  I5.00  for  pans,  glass,  paper  mounts,  pins, 
etc.  if  any  experimental  work  or  insect  work  is 

fork;"  and  two  shovels,  three  transplanting  trowels,  loofoot  line  and 
reel,  1 66  foot  tape  line,  a  wheelbarrow  and  lawn  mower,  would  make  the 
cost  of  tools  for  a  group  of  thirty  children  where  they  work  two  on  a 
plot  (senior  and  junior)  about  I30.  Cost  of  seeds  about  I4.  For 
quantity,  see  Appendix  A,  Note  8. 

134 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

to  be  undertaken.  Further  accessory  equipment 
may  be  obtained  by  having  homemade  trellises, 
root  cages,  racks  for  soil  testing,  flats,  homemade 
barometer,  rain  gauge,  sand  boxes  for  planting 
(or  for  the  entertainment  of  the  tiny  child  visitors 
whom  the  older  "little  mothers"  sometimes  have 
to  bring),  rubbish  boxes,  bed  markers,  butterfly 
nets,  and  numerous  other  sub- 
stitutes that  save  expense. 

With  small  children,  in  their 
first  year  work,  or  on  plots  not 
over  8  X  10  feet,  the  weeders 
(also  the  hoe  and  rake)  can  be 
supplanted  in  part,  or  wholly, 
by  the  cultivating  stick.  In  the 
remote  districts  of  Italy,  a  plow 
is  still  frequently  only  a  tough 
forked  limb  of  a  tree  pushed  or  cultivating  Stick 
pulled  through  the  ground.  A 
cultivating  stick  is  merely  a  piece  of  soft  wood,  or 
lath,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  thick,  one  and  a  half 
inches  wide,  and  12  inches  long,  shaped  to  the  hand 
and  pointed  at  one  end,  which  may  be  hardened 
by  charring  it.  Held  in  the  hand  like  a  dagger  and 
thrust  into  the  dry,  hard  earth  until  the  fingers 
strike  the  soil,  it  cuts  each  stroke  to  a  uniform 
depth  of  between  two  and  three  inches  and  leaves 
in  its  wake  a  fine  mulch.*  In  untrained  hands, 
it  is  less  likely  than  hoe  or  weeder  to  cut  or  damage 

I    am   indebted   to  Mr.   Henry  G. 


♦  For  this  useful   substitute, 
Parsons. 


135 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

the  plants,  and  it  is  as  effective  as  either  in  loosen- 
ing the  soil  and  uprooting  the  weeds.  The  child 
at  the  end  of  the  short  cultivating  stick  is  much 
nearer  to  the  ground  than  when  using  the  long- 
handled  tool.  He  can  and  will  at  close  range  take 
far  more  interest  in  noticing  color  and  form  and  the 
differences  in  both  whether  in  weeds  or  in  plants; 
for  example,  the  similarities  and  dissimilarities 
between  the  weed  purslane  and  its  cousin  the 
flowering  portulaca;  between  the  grass  blade  and 
the  blade  of  corn;  between  the  redweed  and  the 
tiny  seedlings  of  the  beet. 

The  wheelbarrow  is  for  general  and  large  use. 
For  daily  weeding  in  the  individual  plot,  each 
child,  or  every  two  children,  may  have  a  basket, 
or  better,  a  small  wooden  box  (or  a  soap  box  cut 
in  two)  with  hoop  handles  attached.  In  this 
they  should  carry  the  weeds  from  their  gardens  to 
the  compost  heap.  In  large  gardens  where  the 
paths  are  wide  enough,  children  may  be  taught 
to  bury  the  weeds,  but  this  custom  is  better  among 
the  older  children.  The  buried  weed  helps  to 
fill  up  hollows  and  supplies  humus  to  the  soil 
when,  in  the  future,  paths  and  plots  change 
places  in  an  occasional  rearrangement  of  the 
garden. 

From  lathing  can  be  made  large  labels,  stakes, 
plot  markers,  root  cages  and  racks.  Two  culti- 
vating sticks  can  be  made  for  each  child,  one 
bearing  his  name  or  plot  number  to  stand  at  the 
head    of    his    bed    when    not    otherwise    needed. 

136 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

The  other,  similarly  marked,  with  a  hole  bored 
in  it,  is  used  to  wind  the  garden  line  upon,  and 
when  not  in  use  should  hang  in  the  toolhouse. 
When  the  line  is  used  its  loose  end  can  be  quickly 
tied  to  the  other  cultivating  stick.  Lines  are  best 
made  of  four-strand  braided  twine,  and  should 
be  long  enough  to  go  easily  around  the  child's 
entire  plot.*  They  should  not  be  left  out  in  the 
weather  to  rot. 

A  saving  can  be  made  in  the  matter  of  seeds,  by 
getting  them  from  the  government  and  by  buying 
penny  packets  for  very  small  areas.  For  larger 
plots,  buy  in  larger  quantities  and  put  them  up  in 
packets  holding  enough  for  each  child.  Com- 
pute much  more  closely  than  the  seedsmen  do 
for  general  gardening.  Seedsmen  sell  a  "nest"  of 
seed  measures,  but  one  can  calculate  the  quantity 
to  use  by  the  length  of  row  and  distance  apart, 
allowing  some  margin.  A  test  tube  with  an  elastic 
band  to  mark  the  amount  of  seed  needed  can  be 
employed  after  the  amount  is  learned. 

In  transplanting,  trowels  will  be  found  con- 
venient. Dibbles  can  be  homemade  from  an  old 
broom  or  tool  handle.  Fork  and  shovel  are  oc- 
casionally great  conveniences  even  in  a  small 
garden.  A  hand  plow  is  a  luxury.  One  with 
several  attachments,  such  as  rake  and  weeder, 
can  be  had  for  from  $3.25  up  to  $7.00  according 

♦This  twine  can  be  bought  in  balls.  If  each  child  is  thus  pro- 
vided, only  a  few  of  the  longer,  more  expensive  garden  lines  will  be 
needed. 

137 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

to  the  number  of  parts.  Number  all  tools  so  as 
to  keep  track  of  them  and  of  the  care  the  children 
give  them. 

In  regard  to  care  of  tools,  every  one  should  be 
returned  to  the  toolhouse  dry  and  clean.  The 
loose  dirt  should  be  wiped  off  with  an  old  cloth, 
or  better,  with  a  strong  brush  such  as  plumbers 
use.  Every  particle  of  dirt  between  the  tines  of  a 
fork,  the  teeth  of  a  rake,  along  the  grooves  on  the 
back  of  the  spade,  as  well  as  on  the  handles  should 
be  removed.  In  the  fall,  before  putting  them 
away,  any  rust  should  be  cleaned  off  with  emery, 
all  handles  oiled,  and  iron  parts  thoroughly  wiped 
with  a  cloth  smeared  with  tallow.  The  tools 
should  then  be  put  away  in  a  dry  place  for  the 
winter.  Linseed  oil  on  handles  keeps  them  mois- 
ture proof  and  smooth  so  that  they  will  not  dry 
out  and  splinter.  The  tallow  prevents  rusting 
of  the  metal  parts. 

The  illustration  opposite  page  171  shows  the 
position  of  the  rake  in  use.  Such  grasp  of  the  tool 
calls  into  play  the  most  strength  with  the  least 
effort  and  avoids  fatigue.  In  hoeing,  the  un- 
loosened ground  should  be  attacked  from  the  edge 
nearest  the  worker,  who  should  stand  in  the 
path.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  in  so  working 
each  stroke  cuts  a  clear,  clean  slice  off  the  ground 
in  front  of  the  worker  leaving  a  clearly  defined 
line  between  the  soft  earth  that  has  been  hoed 
and  the  hard,  unloosened  soil.  Then  there  is  no 
danger  of  skipping  parts  of  the  ground  as  there  is 

138 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

when  hoeing  from  the  center  of  a  bed  towards 
one's  self;  unhoed  portions  are  frequently  cov- 
ered by  the  forward  pull  of  the  loosened  earth. 

in  any  kind  of  garden,  beds  are  seldom  over 
10  feet  wide,  a  measure  that  gives  an  adult  an 
easy  reach  in  hoeing  from  either  edge  to  the  center 
and  in  raking  from  the  center  to  the  edge.  This 
avoids  stepping  into  the  bed  or  upon  the  loose 
earth.  (Where  much  hand  weeding  has  to  be 
done,  six  feet  in  width  is  better.)  There  should 
be  no  trampling  of  spaded  earth  or  mulch.  Rak- 
ing should  break  the  coarser  lumps  and  leave  an 
even,  level  surface.  If  necessary,  trampling  must 
be  avoided  by  spading  or  hoeing  in  sections  of  a 
width  within  easy  arm's  reach.  Follow  this  by 
raking  the  same  area  and,  that  section  completed, 
a  new  one  may  be  begun.  In  all  three  operations, 
hoeing,  raking,  spading,  the  work  should  be  done 
in  straight,  even  lines  so  that  if  obliged  to  leave 
it  suddenly,  it  will  be  completed  up  to  the  point 
where  left  and  present  a  tidy,  finished  appearance. 
Section  work  gives  an  opportunity  for  division 
of  labor  among  groups  of  children  using  different 
tools.  Let  one  gang  under  their  appointed  or 
chosen  leader  follow  the  other,  as  in. clearing  a 
lot,  spading  and  raking  it. 

Spading  should  be  done  properly.  It  then 
cannot  harm,  and  will  delight,  the  children.  Even 
the  smaller  ones  should  be  allowed  just  a  few 
moments  of  it.  But  care  must  be  exercised  to 
see  that  children  do  not  reach  the  fatigue  point 

139 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

and  that  they  use  both  the  tool  and  their  muscles 
properly.  The  strong,  shallow  spade  is  not  a 
crowbar  to  pry  with  nor  is  it  a  shovel  which  is 
made  to  lift  earth  from  place  to  place.  The  spade 
is  to  loosen  relatively  soft  earth  and  to  turn  it 
over.  To  use  the  spade,  start  with  one  hand 
grasping  the  top  of  the  handle,  the  opposite  foot 


Proper  Use  of  the  Spade 


on  the  blade,  and  the  other  hand  holding  the 
handle  a  fifth  of  the  way  down.  The  weight  of  the 
body  should  be  used  to  drive  the  blade  its  full 
length  into  the  earth;  the  hand  should  be  slid 
down  nearly  to  the  blade  as  you  lift  and  with  a 
light  toss  ahead  completely  turn  over  each  spade- 
ful of  soil.     When  returning  the  spade    for  the 

140 


COST   OF    EQUIPMENT 

next  cut,  strike  lightly  with  its  back  the  lumps 
of  earth  just  turned  as  they  are  falling  to  the 
ground.  Straighten  the  back  between  each  spad- 
ing and  rest  a  moment.  The  brief  rest  saves  the 
stooped  back,  and  avoids  the  quick  oncoming 
of  fatigue.  In  the  work  of  lifting,  depend  upon 
the  muscles  of  the  back  and  legs,  feeling  the  ten- 
sion to  the  toes  and  lifting,  as  it  were,  by  that. 
If  the  blade  be  turned  very  slightly  when  inserted 
in  the  earth,  the  side  edge  will  act  as  a  wedge  and 
carry  it  in  more  readily.  If  hardened  earth  or  a 
stone  be  met,  moving  the  spade  gently  back  and 
forth  will  give  a  better  purchase  and  enough 
leverage  to  dislodge  fair-sized  stones.  (Later, 
the  principles  of  the  lever  may  be  illustrated  and 
the  reasons  for  so  applying  muscular  strength.) 
Spading  and  raking  as  well  as  ploughing  and  har- 
rowing if  properly  and  thoroughly  done  are  really 
more  beneficial  for  many  soils  than  the  appli- 
cation of  fertilizers. 

In  using  the  wheelbarrow,  demonstrate  that 
the  load  piled  well  to  the  back  is  the  easier  to 
trundle;  also  the  respective  values  of  the  grip 
close  to  the  barrow  and  of  that  nearer  to  the  end 
of  the  handles.  A  substitute  for  the  wheelbarrow 
is  the  improvised  litter  carried  between  two  chil- 
dren, or  they  may  play  they  are  Indians  with  the 
savage  drag  made  of  crossed  poles  tied  together. 

To  sum  up:  To  make  an  accurate  garden  esti- 
mate, or  even  an  approximate  one,  all  conditions 
must  be  known.     One  way  to  go  about  it  would  be 

141 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

to  make  a  list  of  things  that  must  be  done  and 
must  be  had;  then  to  decide  how  each  is  to  be 
obtained  and  estimate  the  total  cost.  The  list 
would  include: 

A  teacher,  salaried  or  unsalaried. 

Cost  of  rental  of  ground. 

Preparation  of  ground,  including  labor  and  fer- 
tilizer. 

Tools  as  per  estimate. 

Flag,  roll-book,  blackboard  or  blackboard-roll  (to 
be  hung  to  post  or  tree). 

Shelter  for  tools. 

Shelter  for  children.     (?) 

Seeds  and  plants. 

Water  supply. 

Sundries,  including  a  few  carpenter's  tools,  as  saws, 
hammer,  whetstone,  nails,  etc.,  and  a  small  "first 
aid  to  the  injured"  box  to  treat  accidental  cuts  or 
hurts  which,  however,  rarely  occur. 


142 


CHAPTER  V 

PLANNING  AND  PLANTING  THE 
GARDEN 


CHAPTER  V 

PLANNING  AND  PLANTING  THE 
GARDEN 

"  Begin  early,  early  enough  to  stir  up  enthusiasm  before  it  is  time 
to  stir  up  the  soil." 

"With  hand  on  the  spade  and  heart  in  the  sky,  dress  the  grounc 
and  till  it." 

TO  get  the  best  effect  of  light  and  to  avoid 
shadow3  upon  the  plants,  buildings  should 
be  placed  at  the  west  end,  or  occasionally 
at  the  extreme  east  if  the  garden  is  a  part  of  a  park 
or  playground.  If  this  be  done,  the  sun  from 
April  to  October,  after  8  a.  m.,  will  strike  the  plots. 
The  afternoon  sun  is  less  scorching  and,  in  foggy 
regions,  the  western  sunlight  is  the  more  important. 
Consequently,  no  large  trees  should  be  to  the  west 
or  south  of  a  garden;  they  should  be  to  the  north 
or  east.  Where  a  garden  adjoins  or  is  part  of  a 
park,  if  the  larger  paths  are  left  as  broad  strips 
of  turf  the  effect  is  much  more  beautiful. 

To  give  crops  a  good  early  start,  it  is  desirable 
that  the  garden  should  be  on  a  sunny  slope  to  the 
south,  for  such  a  location  will  have  the  advantage 
o^^  others  of  giving  some  40  per  cent  more  light 
and   warmth.     If   possible,   let    the   location   be 

M5 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

decided  upon  in  the  fall  so  that  the  soil  may  be 
examined  and  carefully  prepared  for  use  in  the 
spring.  The  ground  should  _be_fairly  eyen,  so 
that  the  slope  of  the  lay-out  may  be  either  all  one 
way  or  from  one  or  two  central  lines  or  ridges  only, 
as  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  or  center  to  the 
sides  of  the  garden.  Such  an  arrangement  would 
usually  settle  the  question  of  surface  drainage  by 
the  slope  and  crowning  of  the  paths.  If,  however, 
the  ground  is  markedly  uneven,  it  is  important 
to  have  a  system  of  paths  and  beds  that  shall 
drain  it  well.  If  the  soil  be  wet  and  heavy,  it 
may  even  be  necessary  to  introduce  tiny  ditches. 
If  the  region  be  one  of  scant  or  infrequent  rain- 
fall, irrigation  ditches  must  be  considered.  Still, 
a  unity  of  plan  must  be  kept  throughout,  and  the 
laying  out  of  both  paths  and  plots  subordinated 
to  it.  It  is  impossible  to  give  specific  directions 
for  every  site.  Various  plans  must  be  studied  for 
the  arrangement  of  the  garden,  for  its  shelter  or 
arbor,  its  toolhouse  and  other  buildings.  Only 
general  suggestions  are  possible. 

A  garden  should  have  a  name.  Bird-houses 
add  a  pretty  feature,  and  special  guide  posts  or 
signs  interest  the  children.  Sometimes  they  like 
to  name  the  paths  and  the  summer  house. 
Fences,  arbors,  even  trellises  for  small  plants,  are 
best  painted  green.  (It  is  worth  while  to  buy 
the  very  best  green  paint.)  This  color  wears  well 
and  harmonizes  with  nature's  coloring. 

A  garden  plan  must  provide  easy  entrance  and 
146 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING    THE    GARDEN 

exit.  Nearly  all  designs  show  some  central  place 
for  observation  of  the  work  carried  on  in  all  parts 
of  the  garden.  This  may  be  either  the  center  of 
the  garden  itself  for  pergola,  arbor  or  shelter,  or 
else  some  commanding  point  from  which  a  view 
of  the  whole  may  be  had.  From  such,  the  plots 
are  laid  out  in  straight  lines  giving  rise  to  larger 


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squares  or  rectangles,  or  they  may  be  made  to 
radiate  from  the  center.  Rectangular  plots  are 
preferable  to  round  ones,  as  they  can  be  worked 
more  easily  from  the  paths;  also  because  they 
more  readily  become  component  units  of  a  whole. 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  218  approves  a  garden  plot 
5x16  feet  as  most  readily  worked  without  need 

'47 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

or  danger  of  tramping  down  the  bed.  Except  in 
"training  gardens"  or  where  there  is  a  graded 
course  of  work,  children's  plots  are  seldom  larger 


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Plan  of  Doan  School  Garden  (Showing  Teacher's  Table  and 
Class  Bench) 

than   this,   and   4x8  feet   or  8  x  10.  feet   is  the 
more  frequent  size.* 

*  Experienced  teachers  maintain  that  children  under  fourteen 
should  not  have  plots  over  lox  15  feet.  Small  beds  tend  to  waste 
space  by  requiring  many  paths.  Dividing  a  garden  into  spaces  of 
5  or  10  feet  is  frequently  easier  and,  by  giving  a  decimal  unit,  makes 
many  problems  less  troublesome  for  the  children  to  compute. 

148 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING    THE    GARDEN 

Assuming  the  ground  to  have  been  cleared, 
plowed  and  harrowed,  or  spaded  and  raked  for  or 
by  these  would-be  farmers,  the  teacher  should 
calculate  its  area,  study  its  possibilities  from 
the  aesthetic  point  of  view,  and  roughly  map 
out  her  plan.  Beginning  at  the  center  oflhe 
plot  or  the  central  point,  she  should  lay  out 
a  bed  for  flowers,  or  a  space  sufficient  to  build 
the  small  arbor,  pergola  or  shelter  which  is  to 
have  vines  trained  and  flowers  arranged  about 
it.  Such  shelter  might  have  a  circular  seat  and 
table  to  convert  it  at  will  into  a  small  classroom  ^ 
for  talks  or  experiments.  It  will  also  provide 
a  reception  or  resting  room  for  visitors  to  the 
garden  who  wish  to  watch  the  children  or  to  hear 
about  their  work.  From  this  point  the  main 
paths  3  to  4  feet  wide  should  extend  or  should 
radiate  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  and  these 
should  be  cut  by  narrower  paths  running  at  right 
angles.  These  main  paths  must  make  every  part  j 
of  the  garden  easily  accessible  from  the  entrance. 
The  lesser  paths  should  be  from  i  to  i  J  feet  wide, 
if  the  grounds  are  very,  large,  the  few  main  paths 
may  be  5  feet,  those  separating  sections  of  the 
garden  3  feet  wide.* 

For  convenience  let  us   assume  that  we  wish 
the  center  of  the  garden  to  be  also  the  center  of  (^ 
work  and  interest.     To  plot  the  garden,  find  its 

*  Paths  I  foot  wide  between  the  individual  beds  give  a  more 
businesslike  look  which   the  children   prefer,  for  they  enjoy  doing"* 
things  as  "grown  up  farmers"  would. 

149 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

center,  and  stretch  two  garden  lines  across  the 
whole  length  due  north  and  south,  and  two 
in  like  manner  east  and  west.  Keep  these  lines 
always  the  exact  width  of  the  proposed  paths 
apart,  say  3  feet.  Lay  out  the  central  flower 
bed,    or    the  outlook,    with    the     center    of   its 


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base  corresponding  to  the  central  point  of  inter- 
section of  these  two  outlined  paths.  Then,  first 
on  one  side  and  then  on  the  other  of  each  pair 
of  these  stretched  lines,  with  the  steel  garden 
tape,  lay  out  points  corresponding  to  the  width 
or  length  of  the  proposed  small  gardens,  or  the 

150 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING   THE    GARDEN 

group  gardens  if  they  are  to  be  for  children  work- 
ing in  groups  only.  But  if  the  little  gardens,  for 
instance,  were  5x8  feet  with  their  rows  running 
north  and  south  so  that  the  moving  sun  may  dis- 
tribute heat  and  light  more  evenly  on  the  crops 
than  if  they  were  planted  from  east  to  west,  the 
points  marked  off  would  run  along  the  north  and 
south  lines  at  8  feet,  3  feet  (for  path),  8  feet,  3  feet, 
and  so  on;  and  in  the  east  and  west  directions,  at 
S  feet,  3  feet,  5  feet,  3  feet,  and  so  on.  Mark  these 
points  with  stakes.  These  must  be  carefully  set  so 
that  each  measure  of  bed  or  path  shall  be  the  exact 
measure  from  the  outside  edge  of  one  stake  to  the 
outside  "edge  of  the  other.^  From  the  first,  stress 
must  be  laid  upon  this  exactness  of  measure,  else 
the  few  inches  in  the  width  or  even  the  edge  of  the 
stake,  will  throw  them,  as  well  as  the  adult  who 
originally  lays  out  the  garden,  into  confusion,  and 
create  irregular,  uneven,  undesirable  lines  which 
will  destroy  all  the  symmetry  the  completed  pic- 
ture should  silently  and  constantly  teach. 

The  actual  making  of  both  the  paths  and  the 
beds  may  be  left  to  the  children.  The  smaller 
paths  should  be  staked  out.  In  doing  this,  stake 
all  those  in  one  direction  and  then  those  at  right 
angles.  The  individual  beds  to  the  required  num- 
ber should  be  set  off  and  numbered  plainly  by  a 
stake  at  the  center  of  each  plot,  facing  the  head 
of  the  garden.  A  few  individual  plots  may  be  re- 
served for  the  "waiting  list,"  but  only  a  few  so  as 
to  keep  the  children  keenly  eager  for  them.     The 

151 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

remaining  beds  should  be  planned  both  as  to 
location  and  size,  with  reference  to  observation 
work*  and  decorative  effect.  Space  must  be 
allowed  for  a  compost  heap  to  be  screened  by 
high  grasses,  grains,  or  flowers;  also  for  cold 
frames,  if  any;  for  the  "weed  garden";  and  if 
wise,  for  both  a  "model  plot,"  where  the  planting 
lesson  is  illustrated  and  the  "supply  plot"  from 
which  seedlings  may  be  taken  to  make  good  in 
the  children's  rows  deficiencies  for  which  they  are 
not  to  blame.  Finally,  all  the  measurements 
should  be  checked  off  by  the  steel  tape  to  ensure 
absolute  correctness.  The  work  may  be  expedited 
by  an  eight-foot  strip  of  wood  which  can  be  slipped 
along  the  ground  beneath  the  extended  lines, 
while  stakes  are  driven  in  at  the  required  dis- 
tances.! (Such  a  board  8  to  lo  feet  long,  another 
4  to  8  feet,  and  another  just  2  feet  long,  marked  in 
feet  and  half  feet,  will  be  found  very  convenient 
for  garden  measurements  in  planting,  transplant- 
ing, straightening,  bounding  edges,  paths,  and  for 
many  other  purposes.)  The  advantage  of  plots 
laid  out  from  the  center  of  a  garden  is  that  any 
irregular  strips  of  land  will  be  left  at  the  sides  and 
ends  where  they  may  be  used  as  sample  plots, 
or  to  give  a  finish,  as  of  a  rich  frame  of  flowers 

*  See  Appendix  A,  Note  9.  * 

t  Particularly  in  kindergarten  work  when  the  board  may  be  made 
to  mark  a  furrow  with  its  main  edge.  It  may  be  laid  for  the  children 
to  stand  on  while  planting;  and  to  firm  the  seeds  by  using  it  to  tramp 
them  down  after  they  are  covered. 

152 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING   THE    GARDEN 

to  the  central  part.  This  framing  should  be  em- 
phasized by  a  path  at  least  three  feet  wide  separat- 
ing the  border  from  the  main  part  of  the  garden. 
In  the  work  of  laying  out  the  garden,  all  the  meas- 
urements should  be  made  by  one  person  or  by  one 
person  with  a  helper. 
The  next  step  in  planting  a  garden  will  be  to 


AXF  SCHOOL    avii-DIN 


Plan  of  Axe  School  Garden,  Philadelphia 


draw  it,  when  thus  outlined,  to  careful  scale, 
and  to  make  a  careful  selection  of  the  plants, 
flowers  and  vegetables  desired.  Such  a  design 
may  be  made  in  water  color  or  crayon,  to  get  the 
general  effect  of  the  contemplated  arrangement. 

First  and  foremost,  remember  to  grow  only 
easy,  familiar  things.  Do  not  try  novelties.  You 
want  your  plants  to  come  up.  You  want  them 
robust  enough  to  endure  varied  weather  and  child 

153 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

farming.     A  list  of  the  flowers  that   are  pretty 
sure  to  grow,  includes  the  following: 

Aquilegia.  Morning  Glory. 

Asters.  Myosotis  or  Forget-me- 

Bachelor  Buttons.  not. 

Balsam.  Nasturtium. 

Calendula,  or  Marigold.  Nicotiana. 

California  Poppy.  Pansy. 

Candytuft.  Petunia, 

Celosia  or  Cockscomb.  Phlox. 

Cosmos.  Pinks. 

Dahlia.  Poppy. 

Delphinium  or  Larkspur.  Portulaca. 

Digitalis  or  Foxglove.  Pyrethrum. 

Dianthus  (hardy  pinks).  Ricinus  (or  Castor  bean). 

English  Daisy.  Snapdragon. 

Four-o'clock.  Sweet  Alyssum. 

Gaillardia.  Sweet  peas. 

Helianthus  or  Sunflower.  Verbena. 

Mignonette.  Zinnia. 

To  secure  a  continuous  bloom  from  June  to 
frost,  one  may  select  the  following,  being  careful 
to  allow  no  seed  pods  to  form : 

White:  Cosmos,  aster,  verbena. 
Pink:  Aster,  carnation,  cornflower,  cosmos,  dah- 
lia, gladiolus,  sweet  peas,  sweet  sultan, 
verbena. 
Blue   and   Purple:   Aster,  cornflower,  heliotrope, 

sweet  pea,  verbena. 
Red:  Carnation,   cosmos,    dahlia,   gladiolus,    nas- 
turtium, sweet  peas,  scabiosa,  verbena. 
'54 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING    THE    GARDEN 

Yellow:  Calliopsis,  single  dahlia,  nasturtiums,  mari- 
gold. 
Neutral:  Mignonette.* 

For  high  planting  one  might  suggest:  castor 
bean,  golden  glow,  goldenrod,  wild  purple  aster 
(tall),  wild  sunflower,  all  good  to  hide  locations 
of  spent  hot  beds  or  cold  frames,  compost  piles 
or  other  undesirable  sights. 

Of  vegetables,  it  is  customary  to  grow  lettuce, 
radish,  beans,  beets,  carrots,  onions.  Corn  may 
be  grown  even  in  very  small  plots  where  there 
can  be  only  from  one  to  three  stalks.  Where  there 
is  more  space,  one  or  two  flowers  should  be  added 
(usually  as  a  border  at  one  end  or  all  around  the 
little  plot).  If  the  plots  are  from  8  to  lo  feet 
or  larger,  such  vegetables  as  Swiss  chard,  peas, 
cabbage,  one  or  two  hills  of  squash  or  cucumber, 
potatoes,  and  rows  of  corn  may  be  selected. 
Sometimes  a  choice  of  seeds  is  permitted,  but  for 
the  first  year's  work,  particularly  on  very  small 
plots,  it  is  better  to  have  the  crop  uniform  or 
nearly  so.  The  purpose  in  the  selection  of  the 
seeds  covers  utility,  ease  of  cultivation,  and 
typical  plant  form,  and  in  the  planting,  pro- 
vides lessons  in  soil  and  plant  economy.  As  said, 
rows  preferably  should  run  north  and  south. 
If  they  run  east  and  west,  the  taller  plants 
must   be  on   the   north   side  so   as  not  to  cast 

*  For  simple  cultural  directions  for  these  and  many  others  see 
U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  19^.  Annual 
Flowering  Plants.     It  is  illustrated,  and  sent  free. 

155 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

their  shadow  on  the  other  plants,  and  the  paths 
between  the  plots  should  be  much  wider,  so  that 
one  garden  may  not  overshadow  another.  Of 
course,  with  low  crops  the  width  of  the  path  need 
not  be  so  great  as  where  high  corn,  grain,  or  even 
things  no  taller  than  tomatoes,  are  grown.  Ob- 
servation plots  having  tall  plants  may  be  arranged, 
for  aesthetic  reasons,  against  a  high  wall  or  fence. 


Lines  Stretched  for  Planting.     Red  Wing,   Minn. 

If  there  are  round  beds,  tall  things  should  be 
planted  in  the  center.  Straight  lined  beds  are 
less  likely  to  have  edges  trodden  or  be  worked 
irregularly. 

The  Hst  of  seven  vegetables,  radish,  lettuce, 
beans,  beets,  carrots,  onions,  corn,  to  begin  with, 
contains  more  than  one  word  that  makes  the 
mouth  water  with  pleasurable  anticipation,  and 

156 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING    THE    GARDHN 

causes  young  eyes  to  shine  with  the  thought  of 
prospective  ownership.  From  the  teacher's  stand- 
point, these  vegetables  are  typical  and  full  of 
material  for  all  sorts  of  lessons.  Corn  is  typical 
of  the  grasses  and  grains  and  illustrates  wind  pol- 
lination. Its  first  tiny  upreared  blade  warns  the 
teacher  that  it  is  time  to  have  the  children 
definitely  observe  and   tell  her  the    resemblance 


Crops  Appearing.     F^f.d  Wing,  Minn. 

and  the  differences  between  the  blade  of  grass 
and  that  of  corn.  From  this  time  on  until  the 
ear  matures,  or  even  until  the  use  of  the  old  stalk 
can  be  explained,  there  is  opportunity  for  daily 
observation. 

But  the  corn  must  have  only  its  fair  share  of 
attention.  The  feathery  threads  of  carrot  leaves 
differ  from  the  hooked,  needle-like  stems  of  the 

'57 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

baby  onions.  They  represent  two  families.  The 
carrot,  Hke  the  parsley  with  its  umbelliferous 
flower,  belongs  to  the  umbelliferae  or  parsley 
family;  the  onion,  to  the  lily  family.  The  radish 
has  seedling  and  later  leaves  of  quite  different 
form,  and  as  the  children  grow  it,  its  family  re- 
lationship to  the  cabbage,  cauliflower  and  brussels 
sprouts  would  not  appear.  Let  a  few  of  each 
run  to  seed  so  as  to  bring  out  the  resemblance. 
The  carmine  of  one  side  of  the  stripling  beet  leaf 
likens  it  to,  yet  separates  it  from,  the  useless  red- 
weed.  It  will  take  two  years  to  complete  the  life 
story  of  the  beet.*  All  five  are  root  crops  of  one 
sort  or  another, — while  one  among  them  is  "good 
at  both  ends  to  eat."  The  tender  leaves  of  the 
young  beet  plant  are  excellent  for  greens. 

Beans  are  a  type  of  the  wide  spread  leguminosae, 
though  very  different  in  their  germination  from  the 
pea  of  the  same  family.  They  both  show  the  root 
nodules  where  dwell  the  nitrogen-fixing  bacteria. 
The  way  the  beans  push  up,  and  the  explanation 
of  the  fat  store  of  food  in  them,  make  a  delightful 
story  of  the  feeding  of  the  young  plant.  They 
offer,  also,  lessons  and  experiments  showing  the 
great  force  of  swelling  bud  and  bursting  pod,  of 
things  pushing  toward  the  light, — even  of  trees 
and  plantlets  splitting  the  rocks.  Beans  show 
self-fertilization. 

Lettuce,  if  allowed  to  flower  in  an  observation 

*  Have  a  sample  plot  of  sugar  beets  and  of  the  brilliant  foliage 
beets. 

158 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING   THE    GARDEN 

plot,  will  show  that,  like  the  daisy,  it  is  one  of  the 
compositae.  It  will  also  furnish  practice  in  trans- 
planting. No  plant  shows  better  the  sickness  and 
ill  health  resulting  from  overcrowding  or  loss  of 
sunshine;  perhaps  none  offers  better  lessons  in 
the  hygiene  of  plants,  especially  young  ones.  By 
unerring  analogy,  it  shows  why  pale  faced,  weakly 
children  come  from  crowded,  squalid  sections  of 
our  city,  and  how  much  good  air,  good  food  (for 
lettuce  needs  rich  soil),  and  good  sunshine  mean. 
In  purchasing  seed,  care  should  be  taken  to  con- 
sult local  conditions  and  the  time  limit  of  the  pro- 
posed garden,  so  as  to  select  varieties  that  will 
come  to  maturity  sufficiently  early.  The  child 
wants  a  plant  that  shows  off  well  rather  than  one 
of  particularly  fine  flavor.  Other  considerations 
that  might  influence  choice,  particularly  in  the 
observation  plots,  would  be  whether  crops  were 
grown  for  the  child's  interest  alone,  or  with  a 
view  to  furnishing  special  material  for  nature 
study  or  drawing  in  the  schools.  A  six  weeks' 
garden  is  about  the  shortest  growing  time  al- 
lowance, and  for  such  in  the  latitude  of  New  York, 
on  a  good  soil,  the  following  seeds  were  chosen: 

Mature  in: 

Radishes  (Scarlet  Globe).  ..  17  to  25  days 
Beans   (Refugee,   Thousand 

and  One) 50  "  65      " 

Beets  (Detroit  Dark  Red). .  .70  "  90      " 
Turnips  (White  Strap  Leaf)  .70  "  90      " 
'59 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Mature  in: 

Carrots  (Early  French  Forc- 
ing)   80  days,  edible  in  60 

Onions  (White  Portugal)  pull 
any  time. 

Lettuce  (Black  seeded) 42  to  50  days 

Corn  (Early  Corn) 60  "  70     "    * 

A  better  selection  could  have  been  made  had 
there  been  more  time  for  them  to  mature,  yet  all 
except  the  corn  (which  will  set  in  the  ear),  and 
possibly  the  beans,  furnish  some  harvest,  even  if 
not  full  grown  or  complete.  Consultation  with 
a  skilful  local  gardener,  or  a  note  accompanying 
a  tentative  order  to  a  well  established  seed  house, 
will  solve  doubts  as  to  what  variety  of  seed  to 
plant.  If  the  local  seed  dealers  buy  of  reputable 
wholesalers,  it  is  well  to  enlist  their  interest  in  the 
school  garden,  assuring  them  for  example  that 
so  old  a  house  as  James  Vick's  Sons  thinks  chil- 
dren's gardens  worth  a  special  department  wherein 
the  penny  packet  figures;  and  that  the  general 
testimony  throughout  the  country  is  that,  where 
school  gardens  have  sprung  up,  there  is  an  in- 
creasingly larger  sale  for  flower  and  vegetable 
seeds. 

Before  planting,  the  teacher  should  test  the 
percentage  of  seed  fertility  by  germinating  50  or 
100  seeds  of  each  variety  (see  footnote,  p.  184), 

♦  Crops  as  planted  at  DeWitt  Clinton  Park,  New  York  City,  and 
by  the  normal  class  in  school  gardening  under  Mr.  Henry  G.  Parsons 
at  the  University  of  New  York,  University  Heights,  Season  of  July 
2-Aug.  11,1 908. 

160 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING    THE    GARDEN 


A»y4f4»M>    W*h 


Garden  of  Francis  W.  Parker  School.  Chicago 
i6i 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

carefully  noting  results  and  percentage  of  germina- 
tion. Seeds  should  be  clean,  bright,  plump,  and 
range  from  85  to  90  per  cent  in  fertility. 

In  distributing  seeds  for  planting,  they  may  be 
given  out  in  envelopes  or  poured  into  the  child's 
hand  when  he  is  ready  to  drop  them  into  the 
ground.  If  the  first  method  is  used  the  envelopes 
should  be  distinctly  stamped  with  name  of  seed, 
and  perhaps  in  addition,  with  a  brief  cultural 
direction  as  to  the  depth  of  planting  and  distance 
apart.*  For  marking  such  envelopes  a  rubber 
stamp  or  alphabet  costing  about  75  cents  will  be 
found  very  useful.  In  some  gardens  the  lesson 
of  the  day  is  written  on  the  blackboard  to  be 
copied  by  the  children  into  a  class  book,  and  the 
seeds  in  envelopes  are  given  them  as  they  pass  to 
the  garden.  The  books  are  left  in  the  classroom. 
Some  few  boys  copy  planting  directions  on  slips 
which  they  take  with  them;  others  depend  upon 
comparing  memory  notes,  watching  others  or 
asking  the  teacher.  With  third  or  fourth  year 
boys  in  graded  training,  or  older  pupils,  this 
method  of  blackboard  lessons  may  be  good,  but 
with  little  folks  it  seems  a  weary  effort  and  lost 
labor.  For  them  a  diary  of  what  they  do  and 
what  they  see,  kept  as  they  choose,  long  or  short, 
written  or  drawn  (provided  they  keep  it  with  a 
fair  degree  of  neatness),  is  greatly  to  be  preferred. 

♦  Planting  tables  give  the  usual  depth.  See  Appendix  A,  Note 
10.  Very  wet  weather  decreases  and  very  dry  weather  increases  it 
by  about  half  the  depth  of  normal  planting. 

162 


PLANNING   AND    PLANTING   THE    GARDEN 

There  are  other  preliminaries  to  "  planting  day  " 
besides  the  planning  of  the  garden.  Children  may 
be  registered  before  the  first  planting  lesson, — 
and  should  be  if  the  teaching  force  is  short- 
handed.  Early  in  the  season,  notice  should  be 
given  the  school  children  so  that  they  may  apply 
for  gardens.  Out  of  such  applications  fifty,  or 
the  number  desired,  may  be  selected  and  others 
placed  upon  a  waiting  list.  If  there  is  a  sufficient 
appropriation,  membership  cards  may  be  issued, 
and  later,  some  form  of  badge  or  certificate  of 
membership  or  merit.  The  cheapest  way  is  to 
notify  the  children  by  postal  that  they  are  to  ap- 
pear for  registration  at  the  garden  the  day  before 
it  opens  for  classes.  At  that  hour  they  can  be 
marched  about  the  garden,  shown  the  toolhouse, 
allowed  to  get  a  general  idea  of  the  premises,  and 
may  be  told  a  little  about  the  work  to  begin  next 
day.  Then,  one  by  one,  they  can  be  registered 
in  the  class  book  under  nationality,  school,  age  and 
home  address.  To  each  must  be  given  some  badge 
or  card  of  membership.  Denison  express  tags 
with  name  on  one  side  and  the  above  specifica- 
tions on  the  back  may  be  used.  Make  the  children 
understand  that  the  tag  or  badge,  and  that  only, 
carries  the  right  to  work  in  the  garden,  and  to  own- 
ership of  the  allotted  plot.  If  lost,  it  will  not  be 
replaced;  if  transferred,  it  will  probably  be  for- 
feited, and  the  garden  given  over  to  some  one  on 
the  waiting-list.  The  children  will  probably  tie 
the  tags  around  their  necks.     These  tags  may  also 

163 


I 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

bear  a  class  or  division  number  to  help  the 
child  remember  at  what  hour  he  must  appear  for 
instruction,  though  he  may  come  at  any  of  several 
allotted  periods  for  the  general  care  of  the  garden. 
The  children  are  now  ready  to  begin  business 
on  planting  day,  and,  if  one  has  to  manage  many 
of  them,  this  preliminary  work  will  prove  a  great 
help.  When  they  arrive  for  the  lesson,  select 
one  or  two  children  in  each  division  to  help  you 
if  you  should  need  any  assistance.  To  help  them, 
you  should  have  all  tools  and  seeds  ready,  and  for 


Vm\vvv^mvvmw\wvv^\vm\\mvm\mmv^\vm^^^^^^^ 


-4"->^ 


-^<— 4" 


Bed  Marker,  or  Marking  Board 


first  year  first  day  s  work,  you  would  do  better 
to  have  the  furrows  indicated  at  both  ends  of  the 
beds.  (This  is  quickly  done  with  a  marking 
board.*)  Planting  by  the  line  might  better  come 
later.  It  can,  however,  be  introduced  on  beds 
8x  10  feet  and  over,  by  stretching  the  lines  across 
the  initial  markings  which  will  help  to  determine 
them.  Thus  you  will  avoid,  on  the  very  first 
planting  day,  the  delay  and  confusion  likely  to 

♦  See  photograph  and  drawing.  A  board  i  foot  wide.  4  feet  long, 
beveled  strips  of  wood  nailed  at  distances  indicated.  For  convenience 
it  may  have  a  long  handle  attached  as  the  boy  has  made  it. 

,64 


J 


PLANNING   AND    PLANTING   THE   GARDEN 
SOME  FORMS  OF  REGISTRATION 


No.  FAIRVIEW  GARDEN  SCHOOL. 

Register  Card. 

Fill  out  and  Return  This  Card  to  Office. 

What  is  Your  Name 

How  Old  are  You 

What  School  do  You  Attend 

What  Grade  are  You  in 

Where  do  You  Live 

Have  You  Ever   Been   a   Member  of   the  Garden 
School  Before 


A.    Application  for  a  Garden 


THE  FAIRVIEW  GARDEN  SCHOOL 
Fairview  Street  and  Ridge  Avenue,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 

Membership  Ticket. 

Season  of  1909.  Garden  No 

Name 

Bring  this  ticket  with  you  when  you  pay  your  dues. 
Edw.  Mahoney,  Superintendent. 

B.    Membership  Ticket 


Dues 

Record  of  Payments, 
cts.  per  week.            Garden  No. 

April  24 

May  I 

May  8 

May  1 5      May  22  | 

May  29 

June  5 

June  12 

June  19     June  26  | 

Ju>y  3 

July  10 

July  17 

July  24      July  31 

Aug.  7 

Aug.  14 

Aug.  21 

Aug.  28      Sept.  4  1 

i 

Sept.  1 1 

Sept.  18 

Sept.  25 

Oct.  2        Oct.  9 

Remarks 

C.     Reverse  of  B 

165 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

occur  when  eager  children  rush  to  possess  their 
farms  or  first  begin  to  make  practical  application 
of  figures  and  measurements.  If  there  must  be  a 
large  amount  of  planting  in  a  limited  time,  the 


Eight-year-old  Boy  Who  Made  His  Own  Marker 


long  garden  line  can  be  stretched  across  a  section 
of  individual  plots  and  the  children  may  use  it  as 
a  guide  for  the  complete  planting  of  one  kind  of 
seed;    then,  moving  it  for  the  next  furrow,  plant 


66 


PLANNING   AND    PLANTING  THE   GARDEN 

the  second  row  of  seed  and  so  on.  Lines  of 
planting  should  be  even  and  continuous.  The 
rows,  though  broken  by  paths,  should  run  way 
across  the  garden,  both  for  aesthetic  reasons  and 
for  easy  comparison  of  individual  plots. 

The  question  arises,  shall  all  the  planting  be 
done  at  once?  If  there  are  large  areas  to  plant, 
or  the  children  come  every  day,  it  may  be  divided; 
but  if  they  come  only  once  or  twice  a  week,  the 
sooner  the  seeds  are  in,  the  safer  and  better, 
and  the  less  likelihood  of  the  work  dropping 
behind  and  of  consequent  discouragement.  If 
possible,  finish  the  planting  the  first  day.  In  all 
small  plots  this  can  usually  be  done.  By  working 
diligently,  three-quarters  of  an  hour  or  less  even 
is  sufficient  to  plant  a  4  x  8  foot  plot  with  seven 
vegetables. 

The  work  of  the  first  day  should  consist  of  an 
object  lesson  in  planting  in  a  model  bed,  given  by 
the  teacher,  with  the  class  at  attention  in  an  open 
square  about  her.*  An  hour's  instruction  in  the 
garden  including  this  lesson  is  long  enough  for 
the  first  work  with  little  people.  The  teacher 
should  do  exactly  what  she  wishes  the  children 
to  repeat  and  should  accompany  the  action  with  a 
brief,  clear  story  of  what  she  is  about.  When 
she  has  finished,  the  children  should  march  directly 
to  their  own  section  of  the  garden  and  scatter  to 
the  beds  bearing  numbers  corresponding  to  those 

♦  This  lesson  may  be  given  indoors  by  using  a  small  box  of  earth 
to  represent  the  plot,  but  it  is  better  given  outside. 
13  167 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

upon  their  cards.  They  should  take  their  places, 
all  standing  on  the  same  side  of  their  respective 
plots.  On  the  first  day,  it  is  better  for  them  to 
fmd  their  tools  in  the  middle  of  each  plot.  At 
word  or  signal  of  command,  they  should  take  up 
the  hoe,  and  with  it  mark  their  first  furrow,  as 
they  have  seen  their  teacher  do.  Then  they 
should  stand  at  attention  and  await  the  order  to 
make  the  next  furrow  a  foot  to  the  left  or  to  the 
right  at  the  required  depth,  unless  they  have  the 
seed  for  the  first  furrow  and  are  told  to  place  it. 
Usually  it  is  best  for  the  teacher  to  inspect  each 
step  of  the  work,  the  placing  of  the  seed,  its  cover- 
ing and  firming  with  the  back  of  the  hoe,  and  to  do 
this  in  the  case  of  each  variety  of  seed  planted. 
One  span  of  the  child's  hand  may  be  counted  at 
four  inches  as  a  measure  in  planting.  The  seed 
may  be  distributed  from  bottles,  any  number  of 
which,  for  convenience,  may  be  placed  in  a  box 
or  basket.  Collect  all  seeds  which  the  children 
do  not  use  and  return  them  to  the  bottles.  In 
larger  plots,  each  row  of  seed  should  carry  a  label 
bearing  date  of  planting  and  name  of  seed. 

When  the  planting  is  completed,  a  4  x  8  foot 
plot  will  require  8  full  measures  of  a  6-quart 
watering  can,  or  48  quarts  of  water  to  32  square 
feet  of  ground.  If  the  children  are  to  have  the 
fun  of  watering,  a  water  line  should  be  formed 
to  preserve  order.  The  one  all  important  rule 
in  watering  is  to  soak  the  ground  to  at  least  the 
depth  of  four  inches,  and  to  water  infrequently, 

168 


PLANNING   AND    PLANTING  THE   GARDEN 


perhaps  only  once  a  week.  A  little  water  only 
helps  to  start  evaporation  and  consequent  loss  of 
ground  moisture  by  capillarity  and  is  worse  than 
none.  If  there  is  to  be  a  water  supply,  try  to 
locate  it  centrally  and  have  a  basin  of  stone  work. 


Plot  4X8  feet. 


W. 


s. 


Radish  i"  deep,     i''  apart 

Beans  3"  deep.    S"  apart' 

Beets  2"  deep.     2"  apart 

Carrots  sprinkle  1"  apart 

Lettuce 

to  be  trans- 
planted later 

1 

Onions,  8  or  10  seeds,  every  12'' 

, 

Label 


N. 


D 


Path  18' 


E. 


Plan  of  Planting  used  by  Teachers'  Class,  Henry  G.  Parsons, 

Instructor, 

New  York  University,  Summer  of  1908 

however  amateurish,  to  catch  the  spilled  water 
and  soak  it  up  so  as  to  prevent  wet  feet  and  pud- 
dles. A  4-inch  hydrant  will  furnish  good  working 
force,  if  fitted  with  two  or  more  cocks  for  inch  or 
two-inch  hose.     The  hose  itself  had  best  be  one- 

169 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

inch  pipe  because  it  will  be  7  pounds  lighter  for 
each  25-foot  section  than  the  usual  i  f  inch  piping. 
It  will  wear  out  less  quickly  from  being  dragged 
about,  and  the  children  are  less  likely  to  do  dam- 
age with  the  smaller  stream. 

A  general  rule  for  planting  flower  seeds  is  to 
scatter  very  fine  ones  on  loose  earth,  cover  with  a 
board,  and  stamp  into  the  ground.  For  conven- 
ience with  children,  the  very  fine  seeds  may  be 
mixed  with  fine  earth  and  then  scattered  in  rows 
or  broadcast  to  be  firmed  into  the  ground.  All 
small  seeds  should  be  planted  the  depth  of  their 
greatest  diameter  and  larger  seeds  like  nastur- 
tiums four  times  that  depth.  Very  hard  seeds, 
such  as  castor  oil  bean  and  those  of  some  gourds, 
should  have  the  end  opposite  the  little  root  stock 
cut  with  a  sharp  knife.  Seeds  like  parsley, 
known  to  be  long  in  germinating,  may  be  soaked 
for  twenty-four  hours  in  warm  water. 

Lettuce  needs  abundant  nitrogen.  Cabbages, 
cauliflower,  etc.  are  benefited  by  it  if  applied  after 
they  begin  to  head  up.  (They  take  phosphoric 
acid  from  the  ground.)  In  sandy  soils  they  would 
like  some  extra  potash.  Beets  and  turnips  re- 
joice in  extra  nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid. 
Beans  secure  their  own  nitrogen  through  their 
colonies  of  bacteria.  Carrots  like  barnyard  ma- 
nure with  a  Httle  additional  potash.  Tomatoes 
like  a  similar  enrichment  with  a  nitrate  well  mixed 
into  the  soil  at  transplanting  time.  Clay  soil 
suits  cucumbers  and  squashes,  while  muskmelons 

170 


L 


Plowed  Ground 


ilMiii 

H^IkS^' 

:^  ^  :i^-  ^^H^H 

.'a .  «>  'M^^^^^B^S^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^BBBBBBI 

^JH 

.^1 

^^^^^^^K^y^  ^- ' . 

Raking  Smooth 
PLANTING  OPERATIONS,  I 


Lf 


Sa^ 


OF  THE 


^^NfVERSITY 


PLANNING    AND    PLANTING   THE    GARDEN 

and  watermelons  demand  a  warm,  light,  sandy 
soil.  Excess  of  nitrate  will  cause  any  one  of  the 
four  to  grow  too  rapidly  and  give  a  poor  quality 
of  fruit.*  Too  rich  a  soil  will  send  nasturtiums 
to  leafage  instead  of  to  bloom. 

In  addition  to  planting  their  own  beds,  enlist 
the  children,  as  much  as  you  can,  to  help  plant 
the  flower  beds,  sample  plots,  vines,  etc. 

On  the  chart  of  the  garden,  not  only  the  chil- 
dren's plots  but  all  others  should  be  indicated. 
What  and  how  many  they  are,  will  depend  upon 
the  extent  of  the  garden.  There  should  be  at 
least  a  number  of  flower  beds,  the  commoner 
vegetables  not  grown  in  the  children's  plots,  and 
if  possible,  the  common  grains,  grasses,  kitchen 
herbs,  staple  cereals  and  one  or  two  things  such 
as  peanuts  or  cotton  or  sweet  potatoes  to  pique 
the  children's  interest.  There  should  be  a  weed 
bed  with  the  seeds  carefully  destroyed  just  before 
they  are  fully  ripe. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  know  what  flowers 
we  raised.  There  was  a  most  luxuriant  growth 
of  sunflowers,  hollyhocks,  gladioli  and  sweet  peas. 
There  were  pansies,  and  pansies  and  pansies  every- 
where. Then  there  were  large  double  marigolds, 
calendula,  which  are  even  now  in  bloom,  fifty- 
seven  feet  of  petunias,  the  same  of  dianthus  pinks, 
and  nasturtiums  -handsomer  than  any  I  had 
ever  seen  before.  Our  borders  of  mignonette  were 
perhaps  more  satisfactory  than  anything  in  the 

♦See  Miller.  Louise  Klein:  Children's  Gardens,  p.  174. 
•7« 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

whole  garden,  making  the  air  rich  with  fragrance 
for  a  long  distance.  .  .  We  now  have  on  hand 
for  next  year  some  fine  nicotiana  and  sweet 
William  plants. 


F^ 


Ruse   sPRAy  TOP. 


wmrnmiTWTmimmwmk 


i 


M/IIN    W/^TER    P>PE 


Aquatic  Garden  with  Fountain 
Cement  basin  with  inside  tub  for  clear  water:   approximate  cost  $15 
to  |20.     Half  barrels  and  nail  kegs  can  be  substituted. 


"We  used  petunias,  pinks,  pansies,  mignonette, 
and  sweet  peas  together  with  autumn  leaves  to 
decorate  one  of  our  churches.  The  yellow  flowers 
we  had  saved  for  one  of  the  other  churches,  but 
Jack  Frost  forestalled  our  plans. 

172 


PLANNING   AND    PLANTING   THE   GARDEN 

'*  I  shall  be  glad  to  tell  you  something  of  our 
potato  field,  for  as  much,  if  not  more,  of  our  in- 
terest centered  there  as  in  the  flower  garden. 

"The  practical  problems  met  in  connection  with 
the  cultivation  of  potatoes  were  considered  under 
three  heads.  First,  the  disinfection  of  seed  by 
the  use  of  formalin,  to  prevent  scab;  second,  the 
relative  value  of  different  fertilizers,  considered 
with  reference  to  the  needs  of  the  soil;  and,  third, 
observation  of  the  effects  of  Bordeaux  mixture  as 
a  preventative  of  late  blight."* 

In  planning  and  planting  a  garden,  Louise 
Klein  Miller's  "Children's  Gardens"  is  extremely 
useful  with  reference  to  all  garden  work,  especially 
for  planning  effects,  and  for  suggestions  as  to 
nature  study.  It  contains  a  list  of  trees  for  the 
arboretum,  of  shrubs  for  planting,  and  of  ferns  for 
the  wild  flower  garden.  For  one  entirely  inex- 
perienced, H.  D.  Hemenway's  "  How  to  Make 
School  Gardens"  is  most  helpful.  It  devotes 
thirty-five  out  of  ninety-six  pages  to  explicit  de- 
tails of  planting,  arranged  in  twenty-one  lessons. 
These  lessons  are  as  simply  told  as  if  they  were  to 
be  placed  on  the  blackboard  for  children  to  copy. 
The  book  also  includes  some  account  of  the 
common  weeds.  For  work  with  little  children, 
Frances  Duncan's  "When  Mother  Lets  Us  Gar- 
den" has  many  delightful  hints.  Celia  Thaxter's 
Little  Classic,  "Peggy's  Garden  and  What  Grew 

♦Palmer,  S.  T.:  Vermont  Circulars  of  Educational  Information. 
No.  XIII.     (Describing  school  garden  at  Johnson,  Vt.) 

'73 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Therein''  has  become  almost  a  text-book  in 
many  schools  in  connection  with  the  school 
garden.  "Children  and  Gardens/'  an  English 
book  by  Gertrude  Jekyll,  is  suggestive,  though 
written  primarily  for  home  conditions.  "School 
Gardening  for  Little  Children,"  by  Lucy  R. 
Latter,  who  did  so  much  for  the  school  garden 
movement  in  England,  has  chapters  which  were 
originally  written  for  the  Practical  Teacher  "in 
the  hope  that  the  experience  set  forth  might  en- 
courage other  teachers  to  introduce  nature  teach- 
ing into  their  schools."  It  is  very  explicit,  de- 
lightfully written,  and  full  of  helpfulness  to  both 
teacher  and  children.  The  "  School  Garden  Book," 
by  P.  Emerson  and  C.  M.  Weed,  is  valuable.  It 
outlines  the  work  for  each  month  throughout  the 
year.  Finally,  of  perennial  interest,  will  always 
remain  that  pioneer,  "The  School  Garden,"  by  Dr. 
Erasmus  Schwab  of  Vienna,  the  originator  of  this 
recent,  happy  means  of  making  school  and  its 
studies  delightful  to  children. 


74 


CHAPTER  VI 
AFTER  PLANTING,  WHAT? 


CHAPTER  VI 
AFTER  PLANTING,  WHAT? 

"It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  children  should  acquire  the 
habit  of  cultivating  a  plot  of  ground  long  before  the  school  life  begins. 
Nowhere  as  in  the  vegetable  world  can  his  action  be  so  clearly  traced 
by  him,  entering  in  as  a  link  in  the  chain  of  cause  and  effect." — 
Froebel. 

"Give  a  child  large  interests  and  give  them  young." — Alice  Free- 
man Palmer. 

LESSONS  and  experimental  work  in  the  gar- 
den will  vary  as  it  is  or  is  not  attached 
■^  to  a  school,  and  somewhat  according  to 
the  children's  knowledge  of  outdoor  life.  There 
may  be  the  difference  between  a  review  of  some 
topics  and  a  first  presentation  of  them.  When 
gardens  come  to  be  a  part  of  the  school  cur- 
riculum, a  very  large  percentage  of  the  nature 
work  now  done  indoors  will  be  done  outside.  In 
this  department  surely  the  garden  should  be 
the  "outer  classroom  of  the  school,"  to  the 
great  advantage  of  both  children  and  teacher. 
Everywhere  that  the  garden  has  been  introduced 
in  connection  with  the  school,  the  universal 
testimony  is  that  it  stimulates  the  child  to  better 
intellectual  grasp  of  his  studies.     Even  where  it 

177 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

has  been  added  to  the  routine  of  the  school,  the 
teachers  say  that  the  time  required  is  a  welcome 
break  that  is  more  than  made  up  by  the  vim  and 
expedition  with  which  the  pupils  attack  their 
other  work. 

Where  the  individual  beds  are  not  over  lox  15 
feet,  actual  gardening  would  not  require  more  than 
fifteen  minutes  or,  at   most,   half  an  hour  each 


A  School  Garden  Class,   Red  Wing,  Minn. 


school  day;  not  over  one  and  a  half  to  two  and  a 
half  hours  per  week.  Because  of  the  nature  of  the 
work,  its  period  in  the  school  program  is  frequently 
not  a  fixed  one.  Cultivation,  or  tillage  of  their 
plots,  to  be  most  pleasurable  to  the  children, 
should  be  something  that  they  can  enjoy  when 
they  please,  or  be  sent  to  as  a  delightful  change 
from  their  routine  work.     This  is  accomplished 

178 


AFTER    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

in  many  gardens  by  allowing  the  children  a  wide 
range  in  the  hours  assigned  for  the  general  care  of 
their  plots,  within  which  time  they  may  come  and 
go  as  they  please.  When  the  garden  is  accepted 
as  a  part  of  the  regular  school  routine,  this 
period  is  sometimes  arranged  by  the  principal, 
who,  knowing  the  time  best  suited  for  garden 
work,  may  interrupt  any  grade  lesson  to  send  the 
children  out,  perhaps  to  take  advantage  of  the 
hour  after  a  sudden  shower  to  mulch  their  grounds, 
to  grasp  some  fleeting  opportunity  to  study  in- 
sect life,  or  to  note  some  passing  state  or  stage  of 
nature.  "The  grade  work  may  be  made  up  any 
time;  showers  and  sun  do  not  wait;  the  garden 
cannot,"  was  the  gist  of  one  Canadian  teacher's 
belief  and  practice. 

There  should,  of  course,  be  some  definite  half 
hours  set  apart  for  possible  outside  work. 
Many  times  such  periods  will  be  suitable  for  it. 
When  they  are  not,  they  can  be  filled  by  indoor 
work.  Any  suggestion  that  recess  time  be  given 
over  to  gardening  because  it  offers  change  of  posi- 
tion, change  of  thought,  fresh  air  and  exercise 
for  the  larger  as  well  as  the  smaller  muscles;  that 
in  quality  and  quantity  of  work  it  may  be  adapted 
to  all  years,  should  be  peremptorily  vetoed  on  the 
ground  that  to  be  ordered  to  a  task,  however 
pleasant,  is  to  take  away  the  feeling  of  release  from 
responsibilities,  the  sense  of  freedom,  which  is  the 
very  essence  of  a  recess  period.  It  should  give 
the  freedom  to  do  as  one  pleases,  to  associate  with 
14  179 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

one's  fellows  as  equals,  and  is  essential  to  the 
child's  welfare.  A  monitor  might,  however,  be 
in  the  garden  during  recess  so  that  any  children 
who  wish  may  go  to  their  farms.  Often,  a  shy  or 
unsocial  boy  or*girl  would  prefer  to  do  so. 

Whether  the  garden  is  correlated  with  school 
work  or  not,*  there  is  a  waiting  time,  after  the 
planting,  before  the  children  can  cultivate  their 
plots.  It  will  be  a  week  or  two  before  they  may 
safely  begin.  If  the  children  come  but  once  a 
week  their  second  lesson  should  be  upon  paths, 
and  if  the  day  is  suitable,  they  should  be  taught 
to  make  them;  it  is  essential  that  the  garden 
from  the  first  shall  have  an  attractive  appearance 
which  will  impress  favorably  all  visitors.  At  the 
second  lesson,  in  order  to  evoke  greater  interest 
in  them,  there  should  also  be  a  little  talk  on  seeds 
and  what  they  are  doing  in  the  ground.  Yet 
time  should  be  left  to  set  the  outdoor  housekeep- 
ing in  order. 

In  regard  to  the  paths,  the  children  should  first, 
with  the  handles  of  their  hoes,  measure  their 
plots  exactly,  to  be  sure  that  the  stakes  are  still 
in  correct  position  at  each  corner.  Carefully 
pass  the  garden  line  around  the  whole  bed  about 
two  inches  from  the  ground,  keeping  it  taut. 
Each  child  should  make  two  of  the  four  paths 
that  surround  his  bed,  say  the  north  and  west, 
or  south  and  east.  Impress  upon  him  that  from 
that  time  on  he  will  be  responsible  for  those  by- 

*  For  chart  of  correlation,  see  Appendix  A,  Note  i  i. 

i8o 


'^      Of 


AFTER    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

ways;  that  upon  them  he  is  to  stand  whenever 
possible  to  do  his  work;  and  on  them,  not  on  his 
neighbor's,  he  is  to  throw  his  weeds  or  stand  his 
weeding  box  or  lay  his  tools.  Children  should  be 
made  to  take  certain  paths  in  coming  and  going. 
A  good  rule  is  to  follow  the  right  hand  path  or 
paths  to  the  nearest  main  one. 

In  making  paths,  the  child  should  begin  with 
the  gutter.  With  the  point  of  the  hoe  draw  a 
deep  groove  directly  under  the  garden  line  along 
one  side  of  the  plot  and  then  along  the  other,  for 
each  child  is  to  make  but  two  paths.  This  gutter 
should  be  from  one  to  three  inches  deep,  according 
as  the  soil  is  dry  and  sandy  or  wet  and  clayey. 
Having  made  the  groove,  the  child  will  then,  with 
the  back  of  his  hoe,  bank  the  edge  of  the  bed  at  an 
angle  of  about  50  degrees.  Next,  with  his  hoe, 
he  will  draw  the  dirt  up  and  away  from  the  groove 
until  it  becomes  the  middle  of  the  little  gutter. 
The  loose  earth  is  drawn  into  the  center  of  the 
path,  or  upon  its  "crown."  A  good  rule  is  to  have 
the  center  of  the  path  a  smooth,  level,  even  sur- 
face, equal  in  height  to  the  center  of  the  bed. 

Narrow  paths  may  be  hardened  by  having  the 
children  tramp  them  down  and  pound  them  smooth 
with  the  back  of  a  hoe.  Broader  ones  are 
much  better  rolled  hard.  An  improvised  roller 
can  be  made  of  a  bit  of  drain  pipe  with  a  piece  of 
very  tough,  strong  wood,  or  an  iron  bar  for  an 
axle,  held  in  place  by  a  filling  of  stones  and  rub- 
ble, through  which  cement  has  been  poured.    A 

181 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

team  of  children  can  be  harnessed  to  draw  it.* 
Where  seeds  may  be  sown  broadcast,  as  in  some 
of  the  observation  plots,  this  roller  will  be  handy 
to  firm  them,  provided  the  soil  is  not  clayey. 
If  it  is,  you  do  not  wish  by  rolling  and  compacting 
to  create  a  layer  of  hard,  soggy  crust  through 
which  tender  seedlings  may  not  have  the  strength 
to  penetrate. 

What  are  the  seeds  doing  down  in  the  dark 
earth?  Are  they  all  doing  something,  and  in 
the  same  way,  and  why?  These  are  the  ques- 
tions the  children  ask,  and  the  true  answers 
you  want  them  to  determine,  to  think  about 
and  to  discuss  among  themselves.  The  question 
why  the  seeds  do  so  and  so  is  one  that  we 
must  frankly  admit  cannot  be  completely  ans- 
wered. Nobody  knows  just  why  or  how  the  seed 
develops.  We  see  them  do  certain  things  and  we 
say  it  is  because  God  or  nature  put  into  each 
tiny  seed  a  plan  of  life,  and  to  that  plan  each 
seedling  keeps,  perhaps  because  it  knows  it  ought. 
Anyway,  each  kind  of  seed  clings  to  a  definite 
plan  of  development  through  its  whole  life. 
Whoever  has  watched  seeds  of  the  same  and  of 
different  kinds  develop  as  far  as  they  are  able 
and  then  gradually  die,  knows  that  each  one 
of  them  has  one  great  purpose,  which  is  to 
reproduce    itself    by    seed,    and    to    reach    that 

*  In  order  to  have  it  roll,  when  filling  in  the  stones  and  cement 
the  axle  must  be  protected  by  a  collar  of  wood  or  tin  or  something  that 
will  prevent  adhesion  to  it  and  leave  just  enough  space  for  revolving. 

182 


AFTER    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

end  there  seems  to  be  no  plant  that  does 
not  do  three  things.  It  makes  another  Hke,  or 
better  than  itself,  that  will  continue  its  kind  upon 
the  earth;  it  helps  to  keep  the  earth  beautiful 
and  habitable  with  a  covering  of  green  things; 
and  finally  each   plant    fills  a  place  of  real  use. 


Root  Cage  or  Planting  Frame.     (Strings  Stretched  to  Meas- 
ure Growth) 


as  food,  or  as  material  to  be  made  into  cloth- 
ing or  as  a  thing  of  use  or  beauty.  The  lesson 
of  reproduction  is  taken  up  again  when  pollination 
begins.  The  usefulness  of  the  plant  should  be 
the  strong  point  in  lessons  at  the  harvest  time. 

The  plant's  determination  to  make  the  best  of 
itself  in  good  or  bad  soil,  in  good  or  bad  environ- 

183 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


ment,  is  a  daily  lesson  beginning  with  the  baby 
seed.  Accordingly,  the  children  must  see  what 
is  going  on  underground.  It  is  not  feasible  for 
every  child  himself  to  conduct  all  the  experiments, 
but  as  each  should  do  as  much  work  of  that  sort 
as  possible,  a  number  of  experiments  in  germina- 
tion can  be  made.*  First,  let 
the  teacher  arrange  a  root  cage 
with  garden  soil,  and  plant  at 
the  same  depth  as  the  children 
did,  one  seed  of  each  of  the  dif- 
ferent vegetables.  These  will 
illustrate  what  is  happening  in 
the  earth.  But  would  every  seed 
act  alike?  some  child  should  be 
led  to  ask.  By  way  of  answer, 
let  a  group  of  children  take  a 
number  of  seed  germinators  and 
place  a  dozen  or  twenty  seeds 
of  one  kind  in  each  and  later 
compare  the  germination  in  the 
testers  with  that  of  the  same  kind 
of  seed  in  the  root  cage.  Let  each 
of  the  other  children  plant  one  or 
two  seeds  of  each  sort  in  different  kinds  of  soil, 
sandy,  clayey,  etc.,  in  moss,  or  even  in  sawdust. 


View  of  End  Piece 
Showing  Grooves 
Root  cage,  glass  8 
inches  X  lo  inches; 
frameof  lath,  9  inches 
X  1 1  inches;  end 
piece  width  of  lath; 
strips  of  lath  put  on 
to  form  grooves. 


*  In  order  to  examine  readily  the  very  starting  of  germination, 
some  seeds  should  be  germinated  on  wet  blotting  paper  placed  on 
one  plate  and  covered  by  another  to  keep  seeds  warm,  damp  and  dark. 
They  should  be  looked  at  each  day,  preferably  under  a  microscope 
or  magnifying  glass, 

184 


AFTER    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

Five  or  six  racks  containing  chimneys  or  glass 
tubing  cut  in  short  lengths,  would  give  nearly 
every  child  one  bit  of  experimental  work  to  watch 
and  to  record  in  his  diary.  The  racks  would  not 
take  up  much  room,  and  by  turning  them  end 
foremost  and  using  the  first  hole  alternating  with 
some  other,  each  experiment  with  the  same  kind 
of  seed  could  be  lined  up  for  easy  comparative 
study.  Similarly,  other  experiments  with  plants 
growing  in  dampness,  darkness,  or  crowded  as  to 
roots,  and  also  under  opposite  conditions,  may  be 
made.  Suggestions  and  examples  can  be  found  in 
the  United  States  Bulletins  on  School  Gardening, 
in  C.  F.  Hodge's  "Nature  Study,"  Osterhaut's 
"  Experiments  with  Plants,"  and  other  similar 
books,  such  as  Holtz's  "Nature  Study,"  and 
Coulter  and  Patterson's  "  Practical  Nature  Study 
and  Elementary  Agriculture." 

Attention  may  be  called  to  the  weight  of  the 
earth  upon  the  seed  and  to  the  force  with  which 
the  plantlet  pushes  through  to  light  and  air.  A 
flower  pot  filled  with  beans  with  just  enough 
water  to  cover  them,  covered  with  a  pan  and  the 
whole  tied  about  in  all  directions  with  strong, 
firm  twine,  if  left  to  stand  a  short  time,  will  show 
the  enormous  strength  and  bursting  power  of 
that  seed.  Bottles,  if  loosely  covered  with  cloth 
to  catch  the  flying  glass,  may  be  used  by  the 
teacher  to  show  how  seeds  with  lesser  power 
expand. 

This  lesson  may  be  carried  out  to  show  how 
185 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

rootlets  pierce  between  and  push  aside  the  frac- 
tured rock  particles  which  they  meet.  Attention 
may  be  called  to  the  fact  that  even  tiny  moss  or 
lichen  roots,  as  well  as  the  larger  ones,  give  off  a 
wee  trail  of  acid  that  streaks  the  rocks  and  causes 
decomposition  to  set  in  along  the  trail.  In  many 
places,  this  is  the  first  making  of  soil.  The  rock 
weathers  enough  to  furnish  food  for  the  clinging 
plant,  and,  as  the  latter  decomposes  the  hard 
surface,  tiny  seeds,  blown  by  the  wind  or 
dropped  by  the  birds,  take  root.  Each  plant 
as  it  lives  and  dies  helps  to  form  new  soil  until 
at  last  in  the  ledge  of  rock  a  tiny  tree  seedling 
may  start  and  shoot  upward,  finding  a  fissure  or 
crackllth rough  which[to  make  its  way;  and  thus  by 
the  roots  which  it  pushes  down  in  search  of  water, 
and  the  trunk  which  it  urges  upward  in  order  that 
its  leaves  may  get  air  and  light,  forces  the  rock 
apart. 

The  story  of  the  dropped  seed  suggests  other 
rainy  day  talks  upon  seed  travelers,  stories  which 
are  told  in  many  of  the  nature  books  that  are  now 
before  the  public.  Such  suggestions  are  found 
also  in  Cornell  leaflets,  and  in  Nos.  2,  4,  and  10 
of  the  Hampton  Teachers'  Leaflets  procurable 
at  5  cents  each.  The  natural  development  of 
many  seeds  comes  so  late  in  garden  work  that  it 
may  be  well  to  antedate  their  season  with  some 
talks  about  them  to  fill  in  the  days  before  the 
first  of  the  little  farmers'  harvests  arrive.  Later, 
there  may  be  reviews  and  special  studies.     Ex- 

186 


AFTF.R    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

periments  showing  the  exterior  and  interior  of 
seeds,  their  outer  and  inner  coats,  their  various 
embryonic  development,  the  pattern  of  the  tiny 
plant,  as  well  as  its  store  of  food  for  the  seedlings, 
suggest  themselves.  The  vitality  of  seeds  fur- 
nishes many  useful  stories.  So,  too,  do  lessons  on 
the  different  kinds  of  roots,  these  latter  to  be 
reviewed  as  the  various  root  crops  are  harvested. 
Lessons  on  branching,  budding  and  plant  develop- 
ment generally,  come  naturally  as  talks  while  the 
crops  are  up  and  growing.  Brief  cooking  lessons 
will  suggest  themselves  when  there  are  things  to 
take  home  to  eat. 

Some  specimens  of  plants  that  are  cultivated  in 
the  vegetable  gardens  for  their  roots  or  leaves, 
must  be  allowed  either  there  or  in  the  observation 
plots  to  go  to  seed  so  as  to  show  that  they  com- 
plete the  round  allotted  to  all  plant  life,  in  the 
observation  plots,  however,  the  weed  seeds  must  not 
be  allowed  to  ripen.  Some  of  the  seeds  gathered 
from  last  year's  field  and  pasture  may  be  used 
to  show  their  methods  of  bursting  forth  for  travel. 
Some  attach  themselves  to  an  animal's  fur  or  to 
clothing  for  free  passage  (as  do  "stick-me-tights" 
on  children's  stockings),  while  others,  like  the 
dandelion,  or  the  milkweed  which  spreads  its 
tiny  sail  to  the  wind,  depend  upon  the  air  for 
transportation. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture  puts  up  for 
I2.00  apiece,  two  interesting  collections  of  seeds 
of  one  hundred  each.     Some  seed  forms  are  so 

.87 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

curious  that  it  is  well  in  passing  just  to  introduce 
them  to  the  children  as  seeds,  for  they  might  not 
be  recognized  as  such;  some  of  the  nuts  in  our 
stores,  for  instance,  or  the  seeds  of  certain  un- 
familiar kinds  of  fruit.  There  are  the  interesting 
black-eyed  Susans  and  the  pearl  gray  seeds  from 
Hawaii,  the  '* Job's  tears"  of  which  necklaces 
and  sometimes  rosaries  are  made. 

Many  stories  of  the  ways  and  life  of  people  are 
found  in  the  plants.  Nearly  every  child  knows 
the  story  of  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  and  the  tobacco 
plant.  Many  know  the  history  of  the  white  or 
Irish  potato;  but  few  adults  know  which  of  our 
garden  vegetables  are  very,  very  old,  and  how 
many  are  of  recent  development.  Nor  have 
they  had  a  glimpse  of  the  fascinating  life  of  ad- 
venture and  travel  that  brought  us  tea  and 
rice  from  China  and  India;  the  radish  and  the 
onion  from  Asia  and  Egypt;  and,  far  more  re- 
cently, the  tomato  from  semi-tropic  regions  of 
our  own  continent.  A  few  of  these  stories  do  not 
come  amiss  and  may  be  found  suggested  in 
botanies  and  in  agricultural  or  horticultural 
encyclopedias. 

This  is  some  of  the  work  that  may  be  scattered 
through  the  summer;  with  it  comes  the  daily 
cultivation  of  the  gardens.  Cultivation  may  be- 
gin as  soon  as  the  plants  are  about  two  inches  high, 
if  it  is  carried  to  within  two  inches  only  of  the 
seedlings.  There  will  be  also  the  daily  care  of 
paths;    the  daily  work  in  company  over  all  the 

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AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

common  territory  of  main  paths  and  observation 
plots;  the  occasional  thinning  of  seedlings  with 
the  opportunities  for  teaching  both  plant  and 
human  hygiene  and  sanitation;  the  replanting  of 
plots   and    lessons    that    may    be  introduced   at 


Outfit  for  Insect  Study 

Costly  glass  mounts  can  be  replaced  by  a  strip  of  cotton  batting  enclosed  between 
two  panes  or  sheets  of  glass,  bound  together  by  strips  of  surgeon's  plaster. 

Net  made  of  a  loop  of  12  inch  wire  bound  to  a  handle  of  bamboo.  To  the  wire 
loop  a  bag  of  mosquito  netting  may  be  sewn  or  lashed. 


such  times  on  rotation  and  succession  of  crops. 
Finally,  there  are  the  lessons  in  the  value  of 
harvests,  whether  of  flowers  and  vegetables  on 
the  little  beds,  or  of  the  crops  on  the  sample  plots, 
or  their  relative  values  on  the  experimental  beds. 

190 


AFTER    PLANTING,   WHAT? 

In  addition  to  lessons  in  plant  life  we  have  the 
story  of  the  whole  society  of  animal  life  that 
gathers  in  the  garden.  Toad  and  worm  have 
their  story  as  well  as  insect  and  bird.  Insect  life 
is  good  or  bad,  beneficial  or  injurious. 

Among  insects,  the  helpful  lady-bug;  the  harm- 
ful aphis  or  plant  louse;  the  useful  scavenger 
beetle,  and  the  destructive  potato  bug;  the  striped 
beetle  that  troubles  squash  and  tomatoes;  the 
curious  click  beetle  and  the  voracious  cutworm 
and  wire  worm  will  demand  attention.  The 
cabbage  butterfly  will  in  a  few  short  weeks  give 
a  typical  life  history  in  a  completed  round. 
It  also  will  illustrate 
the  reason  why  each 
year  as  a  nation  we 
lose  so  many  millions 
of  dollars  through  in-  ^^^^^"  ^''^^^^'^^  ^^"'^^ 
sect  depredations,  and  why  we  need  the  birds 
to  help  us  keep  down  their  number.  The  parsley 
worm  and  tomato  worm  will  develop  for  us  into 
beautiful  fliers,  one  a  brilliant-edged  swallow-tail 
butterfly,  and  the  other  a  superb  moth.  On  milk- 
weed may  be  found  the  caterpillar  of  the  vivid 
Monarch  butterfly,  known  in  some  places  as  the 
"Princeton"  because  of  its  yellow  and  black. 
Ihe  bee,  from  a  safe  vantage  point,  may  be 
studied  as  he  visits  the  flowers  and  carries  the 
pollen  from  one  gay  flag  to  another  hung  out 

♦  See  Appendix  A,  Note  12,  for  check  list  of  34  common  butter- 
flies. 

15  191 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


to  tell  him  of  hidden  treasure;  or  his  habits  may  be 
more  thoroughly  investigated  if  the  garden  is  rich 
enough  to  possess  a  model  hive.  The  visiting  birds 
and  the  toad  come  in  also  for  watchful  study. 

Each  teacher  must  plan  her  own  outline  of  work 
and  adapt  her  day  to  any  special  study  its  events 
may  suggest.  Set  lessons  may 
have  to  be  used  in  handling 
large  numbers  of  children,  but 
the  ideal  would  be  friendly  talks 
with  little  groups,  apparently  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment,  yet 
having  a  line  of  sequence  run- 
ning through  the  entire  sum- 
mer's work.  One  good  manual, 
like  Comstock's  or  a  book  like 
Weed's  on  ''Insect  Life,"  or 
United  States  bulletins  such  as 
No.  196  on  the  Garden  Toad  or 
Nature  Leaflet,  No.  18,  Mass. 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  on 
Aphids,  will  contain  sufficient 
accurate  information  for  the 
teacher  who  has  had  no  train- 
ing in  nature  study  or  science. 
In  the  garden  there  are  occa- 
sions for  some  of  the  florist's  operations  of  seeding, 
potting,  transplanting.*  One  graphic  rule  serves  for 
transplanting  as  well  as  for  thinning,  and  the  chil- 
dren can  more  readily  remember  it  than  a  number 

*  See  Appendix  A,  Note  13,  for  directions  for  these  operations. 
192 


"Killing  Jar." 

Cyanide  or  "killing  jar" 
may  be  an  ordinary  pre- 
serve jar  or  any  wide- 
mouthed  stoppered  bottle 
that  may  be  tightly  closed 
to  keep  in  the  poisonous 
fumes  from  the  lump  of 
cyanide.  This  should  be 
set  in  plaster  of  paris. 


AFTER    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

of  fixed  distances.  It  is  based  upon  the  fact  that 
plants  should  not  interfere  with  one  another,  and 
that  there  is  a  general  proportion  between  the  size 
of  root  and  leafage  which  can  be  illustrated.  Thus, 
if  the  children,  when  ready  to  thin  beets  or  trans- 
plant lettuce,  are  told  to  recall  the  size  of  the  beet 
root  or  of  the  head  of  lettuce  as  they  have  seen  each 
in  the  store;  to  draw  roughly  on  the  ground  a  circle 
of  approximately  the  same  size;  and  then  to  draw 
another  similar  circle  just  touching  the  edge  of 
the  first,  they  can  see  that  the  distance  between 
the  centers  of  the  two  circles  would  be  about  the 
distance  apart  that  the  plants  would  have  to  stand 
so  as  not  to  interfere  with  each  other.*  Such  a 
rude  estimate  would  cover  all  the  common  vege- 
tables; though  in  the  case  of  unfamiliar  growths, 
like  corn  and  beans,  the  necessary  distance  would 
have  to  be  given  them. 

There  are  some  details  of  the  school  garden  that 
relate  to  the  teacher  more  than  to  the  child,  which 
should  be  considered.  Where  a  school  garden 
has  several  members  on  its  staff,  they  should  be  so 
selected  as  to  work  in  perfect  harmony  and  with 
loyal  obedience  to  their  head,  who  should  be 
capable,  generous-minded  and  considerate.  He 
or  she  should  be  competent  to  superintend  the 
garden  and  all  its  activities  ;  generous  to  give 
credit  to  the  assistants  for  work  well  done  or 
for  helpful  suggestions ;  reasonable  in  planning 
the  work  for  both  children  and  subordinates,  in 

♦  This  method  is  suggested  by  Mr.  Henry  G.  Parsons. 
193 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

sharing  plans,  present  or  future,  with  fellow  work- 
ers, and  considerate  with  assistants  and  children 
while  they  are  carrying  out  the  scheme  of  work 
outlined  for  them— for  here,  weather  interrup- 
tions, human  frailty  and  the  unexpected  some- 
times dislocate  the  best  laid  plans.     Nowhere  is 


Thinning  his  Plants 


there  greater  need  for  care  in  selecting  the  per- 
sonnel of  a  teaching  staff;  nowhere  does  char- 
acter count  more  than  in  the  intimacy  between 
children  and  teachers  which  the  garden  fosters. 
Tact,  good  judgment,  justice,  firmness,  gentleness, 
directness,  sympathetic  understanding  of  child 
nature,  normal  sensibilities,  a  wholesome  sense  of 

194 


AFTER    PLANTING,   WHAT? 

humor,  tolerance,  patience,  ready  forgiveness  and 
large  hopefulness  are  fundamental  qualities  for  a 
teacher. 

These  virtues  allay  antipathies,  ward  oflf  hostil- 
ity and  arouse  gratitude  in  children  and  neigh- 
bors.    It  is  well  to  remember  in  handling  the  chil- 


"The  Father  of  the  Man  without  a  Job' 


dren,  that  they  are  frequently  human  barometers 
subject  to  the  personal  atmosphere  of  the  garden 
or  the  home.  Put  yourself  in  the  child's  place, 
with  his  experience,  his  often  incorrect  knowl- 
edge and  the  prejudices  of  his  environment.  If  he 
errs,  reason  with  him  for  his  good,  not  because  of 

"95 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

your  broken  discipline  or  offended  dignity.  Each 
day  clean  the  slate  of  his  misdeeds.  Have  peace 
between  you  and  welcome  him  each  morning  with 
a  large  hopefulness  for  his  future.  Be  merciful, 
— for  he  may  encounter  only  indifference  or  neg- 
lect or  temper  at  home.  These  do  not  grow  easier 
to  bear  by  frequent  experience,  and  in  all  classes. 


Normal  Student's  Home  Garden,  Washington,  D.  C. 

children  receive  occasionally  the  equivalent  of  the 
quick  blow  or  the  gruff  command.  The  habitual 
courtesy  of  teacher  to  teacher  and  to  child  fmds 
itself  reflected  in  deference  and  gentleness  of  mood 
in  the  child,  though  sometimes  expressed  in  far 
from  polished  phrase  or  gesture. 

196 


AFTER    PLANTING,   WHAT? 

Dress,  too,  has  its  effect.  You  are  trying  to 
cultivate  the  child.  Old  clothes, — clean,  whole, 
unadorned, — have  a  rightful  place  when  man  or 
woman  is  grubbing  in  the  ground.  They  may  be 
more  appropriate  on  some  work  days  than  on 
others  when  a  simple  suit  with  some  style  to  it 
and,  in  case  of  a  woman,  with  a  touch  of  pretti- 


Writing  up  the  Day's  Diary 


ness,  would  not  be  injured  and  would  eloquently 
preach  a  number  of  lessons.  Not  economy  and 
adaptability,  but  slouchiness  and  disorder  and 
lack  of  thrift  are  taught  by  the  torn  shirt  sleeve, 
the  broken  shoulder  brace,  the  skirt  pinned  and 
sagging  at  the  waist  band,  and  the  old  finery  or 
gown  or  blouse  "good  enough  for  garden  work." 
Jewelry,  beyond  ring  and  pin  and  watch,  is  an 
197 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

abomination,  and  may  become  a  temptation  if 
carelessly  laid  down.  A  practical  shirt-waist  suit 
or  wash  dress,  or  clothes  of  a  color  that  does 
not  show  the  stain  of  dirt  and  soil,  are  needed. 
Even  with  the  children  there  should  be  insistence 
upon  cleanliness,  upon  neatness  (with  reasonable 
consideration  of  their  social  class),  and  upon  proper 
clothing — if  there  is  a  tendency  to  over  or  under 
dress.     Overalls  and  aprons  are  appropriate. 

Garden  records  should  always  be  kept,  both  for 
immediate  use  and  later  reference.*     They  may  be : 

1.  Child's  records. 

a.  Daily  attendance. 

b.  Daily  weather  report. 

c.  General  work  each  day. 

d.  Daily  harvest. 

2.  Records  of  visitors,  or  the  Garden  Guest  Book. 

(This  pleases  the  children,   their  parents   and 
visitors.) 

3.  Principal's  records. 

a.  The  day's  work  for  the  children,  as  prepared 

alone  or   in    conference   with   the  assist- 
ants. 

b.  Work  accomplished  by  the  children. 

c.  Record  of  each  child's   attendance,  conduct, 

harvest. 

d.  Record  of  visiting  classes. 

e.  Record  of  nature  study  material  or  of  flowers 

supplied. 

*  For  types  of   records  from   School   Gardening  for  California 
Schools  by  B.  M.  Davis,  see  Appendix  A,  Note  14. 

198 


AFTER    PLANTING,    WHAT? 

f.  Miscellaneous  records,  of  trips  by  the  children 
to  other  schools,  parks,  experiment  sta- 
tions, and  of  any  events  worth  registering. 


Summer  work  in  the  garden  will  include  some 
carpentry,  such  as  repairing  of  tools  and  making 
of  apparatus.  It  should  include  some  cooking.* 
Even  though  there  be 
no  opportunity  for 
house-wifery,  a  few 
simple  cooking  lessons 
can  be  given  over  an 
oil  stove  in  an  impro- 
vised and  sheltered 
corner  kitchen;  or 
better,  the  cooking 
can  be  done  with  one 
of  the  steam  cookers 
that  range  in  price 
from  $5.00  to  I7.50. 
This  method  demon- 
strates economy  in 
fuel,  as  would  also  a 

fireless  cooker  which  is  easily  improvised.  The  cook- 
ing could  be  done  in  connection  with  a  guest  day.  A 
vegetable  dinner,  a  salad  supper,  or  a  ''green  tea" 
is  a  great  drawing  card  to  interest  the  children's 
parents.  In  fact  it  is  a  good  thing  to  have  a 
"parents*  day"  regularly  and  frequently  with 
either  some  such  feature  as  just  mentioned  or 

♦  See  Appendix  A,  Note  15. 
199 


Home-made  Breeding  Cage 

A  large  chimney  standing  in  saucer  or 
flower  pot  or  fitted  into  a  block  of  wood,  if 
its  top  IS  covered  with  netting,  will  serve. 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

an  interesting  talk  upon  some  topic  connected 
with  the  garden.  The  parents  represent  the  tax- 
payers and  pubhc  opinion,  and  when  they  approve 
the  school  garden  sufficiently  to  demand  it,  the 
ward  politician  will  get  in  line  with  the  best  educa- 
tional leaders  who  are  doing  all  they  can  to  push 
it.  In  order  not  to  be  swamped  by  guests,  or 
embarrassed  by  financial  problems,  these  social 
occasions  can  be  apportioned  among  difi'erent 
groups  of  children,  who  will  entertain  their  par- 
ents or  friends  at  stated  times. 

From  the  first  day  that  the  garden  is  open  to 
the  last,  cultivate  the  good  will  of  all  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. It  is  much  more  creditable  to  elicit 
voluntary  help,  or  even  successfully  to  beg  as- 
sistance, than  for  a  teacher  to  accomplish  every- 
thing by  herself  or  through  her  coteries  of  friends. 
The  garden  is  for  the  children  and  they  are  to  feel 
that  they  own  it;  that  they  largely  make  it  what 
it  is;  and  it  should  be  among  their  people,  for 
their  people,  and  enthusiastically  encouraged  by 
their  people. 


200 


CHAPTER  VII 

AN   INTERLUDE:    SOME  GARDEN 
WEEDS 


CHAPTER  VII 

AN  INTERLUDE:    SOME  GARDEN 
WEEDS 

"One  can  imagine  no  more  irrepressible  rabble  than  these  weeds  of 
the  garden.  They  seem  possessed  almost  of  a  conscious  life,  and  to 
push  and  shove  and  scramble  for  place  like  a  hard-headed,  thick- 
skinned,  piratical  crew." — S.  D.  Kirkham. 

SCARCELY  thirteen  years  ago  John  Bur- 
roughs in  a  chapter  on  a  Bunch  of  Herbs 
made  an  interesting  sub-division,  Weeds, 
and  in  the  "  long  hst/'  as  he  calls  it,  42  were  given. 
Today  the  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture issues  a  "set  composed  of  100  samples  of 
weed  seeds — those  most  commonly  found  in  the 
commercial  seeds  of  cultivated  plants."  It  "is 
intended  for  the  use  of  educational  institutions 
and  seedsmen  in  identifying  seeds  by  compari- 
son." Considered  as  the  bane  of  a  school  garden 
a  large  proportion  of  these  weeds  may  be  omitted; 
not  because  they  are  not  bold  robbers  of  rich  soil 
but  because  many  of  them  belong  to  special 
areas  of  our  country,  and  in  their  local  haunts  are 
as  well  known  as  is  the  dandelion  everywhere.  If 
they  occur  in  the  school  garden  it  will  be  as  iso- 
lated individuals  or  as  a  plant  colony,  and  prob- 

203 


First  Year's  Growth  of  Yellow 
Dock 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

ably  come  up  in  the  sample  plot  according  to  the 

seed  that  has  been 
sown  and  that  seed's 
most  intimate  enemy. 
In  school  gardens 
of  from  5  to  10  acres 
where  the  sample 
plots  are  of  consider- 
able size,  or  in  gar- 
dens connected  with 
agricultural  schools 
or  colleges,  the  weeds 
would  be  immediately 
recognized  by  the  trained  teachers  in  agriculture 
who  are  usually  in  charge.  If  they  occur  in  the  city 
school  garden  or 
the  small  rural 
one,  they  are  often 
easily  placed  as  to 
their  name  and  his- 
tory by  a  careful 
study  of  the  crop  in 
which  they  appear. 
If  local  conditions 
supply  no  oppor- 
tunities for  this 
kind  of  research, 
and  helpful  bulle- 
tins cannot  be  had  from  either  Washington  or  the 
State  Experiment  Station,  the  weed  will  be  iden- 
tified if  sent  to  the  latter.     Moreover,  your  sample 

204 


JiMsoN  Weed 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

plot  seed  has  probably  been  sown  in  drills  or  rows. 
(One  can  usually  get  as  much  or  more  on  the  same 
area  and  cultivate  it  more  easily  than  when  sown 
broadcast.)  Seedlings  and  weeds  will  come  up 
together,  but  only  a  very  short  time  will  be 
needed  before  the  characteristic  appearance  of 
each  will  disclose  its  variety.  Rarely  is  seed  so 
adulterated  that  the  weed  equals  or  exceeds  the 
plant  desired. 

It  is  only  the  weed  in  the  rows  that  need  cause 
trouble,  for  proper  cultivation  between  them 
should  eradicate  the  foreign  population  when 
young.  In  its  youth  the  weed  is  not  sturdy, 
whether  youth  be  considered  in  relation  to 
actual  age  or  to  its  appearance  in  a  new  locality. 
Beware  of  its  second  season.  If  it  is  an  annual, 
though  it  die,  it  has  first  scattered  its  myriad 
children.  If  it  is  a  perennial,  it  has  not  only 
done  this  but  has  firmly  established  itself,  pre- 
pared to  increase  by  its  roots,  by  underground 
runners,  by  division  of  root,  by  rooting  joints,  by 
suckers  or  by  more  than  one  of  these,  or  by  all, 
so  tenacious  of  life  are  weeds. 

"The  most  human  plants  after  all  are  the  weeds. 
1  low  they  cling  to  man  and  follow  him  around  the 
world!  How  they  crowd  round  his  barns  and 
dwellings  and  throng  his  garden  and  jostle  and 
override  each  other  to  be  near  him"* — and  what 
good  turns  they  sometimes  serve  him! 

If  we  look  at  weeds  for  their  food  value  we  find 

♦  Burroughs,  John:  A  Year  in  the  Fields,  p.  135. 
205 


I 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


first  of  all,  perhaps,  the  dandelion  and  water 
cress;  at  least,  these  are  the  best  known.  In 
different  sections  of  the  country,  different  weeds 
maybe  utilized.  In  old  New  England  many  were 
used  that  are  still  used  occasion- 
^  ally.  The  introduction  of,  and 
great  improvement  in  our  now 
common  vegetables  relegated  the 
weeds  to  an  obscurity  out  of 
which,  today,  several  have  been 
brought  by  the  customs  of  dif- 
ferent nationalities  among  our 
poorer  people. 

A  school  garden  should  strive, 
particularly  in  the  cities,  to  in- 
troduce as  varied  a  dietary  as 
possible,  by  teaching  the  use  of 
all  garden  greens  and  by  calling 
attention  to  the  edible  ones 
among  the  weeds.  Among  these 
are  milkweed,  which  offers  in  its 
young  and  tender  shoots  mate- 
rial for  salads.  These  shoots 
preserved  in  layers  of  salt  until 
winter  time,  shaken  free  of  it 
and  rinsed,  will  give  greens  for 
the  pot.  This  use  is  common 
still  in  parts  of  New  England.  As  a  pot  herb 
also  may  be  used  that  scourge  of  the  garden, 


Plantain 
Flowering  spike  of 
common       plantain. 
Broad    leaved    plan- 
tain or  hen-bread.* 


*  From  Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  Horticulture. 
the  Macmillan  Co. 

206 


By  permission  of 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

purslane  or  "pussley."  An  eighteenth  century 
writer  speaks  of  it  as  being  "little  inferior  to  the 
asparagus."  We  can  cheerfully  consign  it  to  the 
boiling  cauldron.  In  the  garden  it  is  most  perni- 
cious, spreading  rapidly  and  re-rooting  at  every 
joint  left  carelessly  in  the  shade  or  in  damp  earth. 
Its  small  yellow  flowers  open  in  the  hot  sunshine 
for  only  a  few  hours,  but  spread  their  seeds  gen- 
erously. These  are  of  so  great  vitality,  that  if 
deeply  buried  and  years  after  accidentally  brought 
near  the  surface,  they  will  spring  to  life  again.  Its 
smaller  leaves  are  used  for  salad  and  for  garnishing. 
Purslane  and  its 
cousin,  the  portu- 
laca,  have  many 
habits  in  com- 
mon. 

Cape   Cod   peo-        common   Purslane  or  Portulaca 

pie  use  golden  or  Oleracea* 

marsh   dock  and 

seashore  plantain  or  "Goose  Tongue,"  while  in- 
land folks  use  curled  dock  for  a  pot  herb  and  oc- 
casionally the  common  plantain.  The  docks  are 
cousins  to  the  sorrel  or  sour  grass.  The  family 
resemblance  between  the  two  is  strong.  There  is  a 
little  garden  weed  called  wood-sorrel,  with  leaves 
and  yellow  blossoms  closely  resembling  the  culti- 
vated oxalis  and  belonging  to  the  same  family. 
As  children,  we  have  all  sampled  peppergrass  and 

♦  From   Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of   Horticulture.     By  permission  of 
the  Macmillan  Co. 

i6  207 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 


used  it  for  our  children's  parties  long  before  we 
knew  that  some  varieties  of  it  were  cultivated 
for  salads.  We  readily  accept  beet  tops,  spinach 
and  Swiss  chard  as  greens,  but  question  the  use 
of  the  coarse  pigweed  whose  tender  shoots  are  as 
much  sought  for  food  in  some  sections  of  our  land 
as  were  the  young  branchlets  of    the  common 

nettle,  which  the  early  col- 
onists boiled  for  pot  herbs. 
Some  of  the  beneficial 
weeds  or  medicinal  herbs 
are  described  in  the  "Thir- 
ty Poisonous  Plants  of  the 
United  States."*  With 
the  exception  of  the  poi- 
son ivy  and  oak,  they  are 
not  likely  to  injure  man, 
but  only  animals  that  ac- 
cidentally crop  them.  In 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  28, 
Weeds  and  How  to  Kill 
Them,  some  ten  weeds  are 
considered  as  very  obnox- 
ious from  the  farmer's 
standpoint  and  pertina- 
cious in  their  hold  on  life.  An  even  hundred  are 
listed  and  their  characteristics  tabulated.  Of 
these,  some  25  or  30  are  fairly  universal,  appear- 
ing in  cultivated  fields  and  in  the  small  garden. 

*  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  86.     See  also  No.   i88.  Weeds  Used  in 
Medicine. 

208 


Couch  Grass 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

Some  few  are  more  common  in  the  roadside 
colonies.  The  road  is  the  place  all  weeds  love, 
— as  much  as  does  the  human  traveler  or  tramp, 
—if  they  have  means  of  their  own  by  which  to 
travel  or  fly  or  even  if  they  must  steal  a  ride  to 
some  new  home  by  hooking  on  to  coat  of  pass- 
ing man  or  beast.  From  the  road,  we  would  not 
wish  to  banish  them.  There,  we  who  ride  or 
tramp  for  pleasure  appreciate  their  color,  and 
their  form,  but  less  often  know  their  queer  and 
curious  habits,  and  means  of  survival  in  the  wayside 
struggle  for  life.  When  in  some  region  we  find 
what  we  may  have  known  as  a  nuisance,  safely 
cultivated  as  a  flower,  we  are  impressed  with  the 
truth  of  the  saying  "  a  weed  is  a  plant  misplaced." 
Weeds,  then,  are  excellent  from  an  aesthetic 
standpoint.  In  nature's  plan  they  cover  with  a 
restful,  cool  mantle  of  green  every  waste  place 
that  man  fails  to  cultivate;  and  there  is  a 
touch  of  grim  satire  in  their  luxuriance,  as  if 
"  the  rough  muse"  were  bidding  man  discover  how 
rich  the  earth  for  his  own  use,  how  costly  his 
neglect  to  reap  such  wealth.  In  nature's  realm, 
weeds — most  prolific  of  seed  bearers — have  their 
economic  value  also.  The  despised  ragweed,  for 
example,  holds  its  seeds  until  the  birds  in  winter 
need  them  to  satisfy  their  hunger.  Fall  brings  the 
time  when  insects  hibernate  and  our  year-round 
birds  become  vegetarians  on  a  diet  of  dry  seeds, 
for  which,  as  supply  houses,  the  weeds  figure 
largely. 

309 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

But  coming  to  the  school  garden  on  a  hot  sum- 
mer's day,  the  sight  of  a  luxuriant  growth  of  weeds 
may  banish  all  their  uses  from  our  minds.  Our 
mental  attitude  shifts  and  our  only  thought  is  of 
extermination.  Many  of  our  plant  pests,  par- 
ticularly those  of  foreign  importation,  multiply 


WooDBERY  Garden,  Baltimore.     The  Lot  Before  Cultivation 

SO  rapidly  that  they  sometimes  take  over  en- 
tire fields.  They  love  the  land  of  room  and 
liberty. 

Children  love  the  black-eyed  Susan  or  Dutch 
daisy  and  the  white  or  ox-eyed  daisy.  Honesty 
compels  us  to  count  them  among  the  farmer's 
worst   enemies   along  with  sorrel,  wild  mustard, 

2IO 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

wild  carrot,  hardback,  chicory  and  cocklebur. 
Asters,  goldenrod,  milkweed  and  rag-weed  are 
among  the  rank  plants  of  our  roads  and  fields. 
Asters  and  goldenrod  we  should  sorely  miss. 
Every  country  boy  or  girl  knows  the  milk-weed 
with  its  juicy  stems  spilling  milk  at  every  crack 


W'ooDHi.RY  Loi  AiiiK  nil  ('.HiiDRHN  Madf.  Thf.ir  School  Gardln 


or  break,  its  boat-like  pods  laden  with  silk  of 
finest  tissue,  beautiful  in  texture  as  the  precious 
fabrics  brought  from  the  Indies.  Its  deep  reach- 
ing roots  are  as  strong  as  its  seeds  are  ephemeral. 
The  ragweed  loves  to  lift  its  handsome  head 
with  greenish-yellow  powdered  flowers,  above  the 

211 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 


Pigweed* 


much  branched  stem 
and  finely  divided 
leaves,  and  to  throw 
far  and  wide  its  acrid, 
unpleasant  perfume. 
This  is  a  cousin  of 
the  imperial  Roman 
wormwood,  the 
''ambrosia,''  taunt- 
ing name  to  hay 
fever  victims. 

In  the  garden  soil 
there  are  layers  upon 
layers  of  weed  seeds 
of  difi'erent  vitality 
and  constitutional 
needs.  "  If  I  uncover 
the  earth  in  my  fields,  ragweed  and  pigweed* 
spring  up;  if  these  are 
destroyed,  honest  grass 
or  quack  grass  or  pur- 
slane appears;  the 
spade  or  plow  that 
turns  these  under  is 
sure  to  turn  up  some 
other  variety,  as  chick- 
weed,  sheep  sorrel  or 
goose  foot."!     Let  us  add  the  pretty  smartweed, 

*  Known  also  as  bacon  weed,  lamb's  quarters.     There  is  also 
rough  pigweed. 

f  Burroughs,  John:  A  Year  in  the  Fields,  p.  137. 
212 


Carpet  Weed 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

the  dainty,  exasperating  carpet  weed,  shepherd's 
purse,  the  thistle  (it  will  be  an  English  or  Canadian 
or  even  Russian  specimen,  not  our  good  American, 
which  clings  to  roadside,  swamp  and  wood),  the 
bindweed  (one  of  the  wild  morning  glories),  the 
wild  cucumber  (an  excellent  friend  as  a  cover  vine 


Leaf,  Spike  and  Root  of  Broad-leaved  Dock 


if  its  seed  pods  be  picked  before  they  ripen).  Then 
there  is  the  live-forever,  out  of  whose  thick  leaves 
children  make  bags,  by  slowly  and  carefully  rub- 
bing the  tough  skin  until  it  loosens  and  forms  a 
pouch.     The  jimson  weed*  with  its  large,  curious 

*  It  is  one  of  the  night-shade  family  as  are  both   black  night- 
shade, a  garden  weed,  and  the  common  white  potato,  and  is  classed 

213 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 


and  prickly  seed-pod  and  its  luxuriant  growth,  is 
liable  to  appear  in  any  garden  made  from  a  vacant 
lot.  Then  there  are  the  speedwell  with  its  very 
tiny  white  flowers,  the  galinsoga,  also  with  little 
white  flowers  and  rough  leafage, — new  importa- 
tions that  threaten  our  garden  kingdoms, — while 
our  own  evil  poison  ivy  frequently  crops  up.* 

On  farms  and  large  areas,  special  means  may 
be  used  to  eradicate  certain  weeds,  as  spraying 
for  wild  mustard.  There  are  some  chemical  prepa- 
rations that  used  in 
small  quantities  will 
kill  weeds  in  walks 
and  grass  and  yet 
not  injure  the  latter. 
The  only  absolute 
remedy  since  all 
gardening  began  is 
frequent  tillage.  On 
tiny  plots  the  cul- 
tivating stick,  on  small  beds  the  hoe;  on  larger 
plots  the  wheelplow  and  on  large  tracts  of  land 
the  horse  or  traction  machine  are  needed.  "The 
weeds  are  not  easily  discouraged;  they  never 
lose  heart  entirely;  they  die  game;  if  they  can't 
have  the  best,  they  will  take  up  with  the  poorest  . 
.    .    .     in  all  cases  they  will  make  the  most  of  their 

under  poisonous  plants;  consequently  it  is  well  to  warn  the  children 
not  to  put  any  part  of  it  into  their  mouths. 

♦  See  note  at  end  of  this  chapter  for  this  plant  and  for  popular 
names  of  common  weeds. 

214 


First   Year's   Growth    of 
LEAVED  Dock 


Broad- 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

opportunities'** — and  herein  lies  the  only  speck 
of  moraHty  in  weeds.  When  you  are  fighting  f- 
them,  if  you  let  them  get  the  best  of  you  they 
are  a  giant  rabble,  or  a  low-down,  back-breaking, 
pestiferous  crew.  They  even  tell  tales,  for  by 
their  growth  they  tell  the  experienced  eye  what 
sort  of  discipline — or  care — the  garden  has  had. 


POISON  IVY 

(Poison  ivy,  poison  vine,  poison  creeper,  mercury  or  markry  and 
three  leaved  ivy,  usually  climbing  or  trailing  but  sometimes  erect 
in  growth.) 

Teach  the  children  it  has  three  leaflets  while  the  wood- 
bine or  Virginia  creeper,  for 
which  it  is  often  mistaken,  has 
five.  The  ivy  has  masses  of 
white  berries  standing  out  al- 
most straight  from  its  stem; 
the  woodbine  has  smaller  clus- 
ters of  deep  purple  berries 
that  droop.  Birds  spread  the 
ivy  seeds  so  that  it  may  ap- 
pear in  the  school  garden  in 
sections  where  it  is  common 
in  fields  and  pastures  or  along 
the  roadside.  Poison  ivy  is 
harmless  to  many.  Toothers 
it  is  a  rank  poison  because  of 
the  non-volatile  oil  found  in 
all  parts  of  the  plant  even 
when  seemingly  dead.     Consequently,  it  ought  never 


Poison  Ivv 


♦  Burroughs.  John:  A  Year  in  the  Fields,  p.  158. 
215 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

to  be  burned,  but  be  rooted  up  by  someone  who  is  not 
susceptible  to  the  poison.  It  may  also  be  killed  by 
putting  a  half-teaspoonful  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid 
on  the  stem  every  two  or  three  weeks  during  the  vigor- 
ous spring  growth.  The  poisonous  oil  can  be  carried 
on  the  hands,  clothing  or  towels  from  the  immune  to 
those  who  are  not.  Those  who  have  to  handle  poison 
ivy  should  wash  their  hands  several  times — and  their 
clothing  in  strong  soapsuds.  The  common  remedy  for 
the  poison  is  sugar  of  lead  dissolved  in  50  to  75%  alcohol. 
Pure  alcohol  will  kill  it  if  applied  to  the  first  eruption, 
and  if  it  is  not  spread  by  scratching.  Various  other 
remedies  are  often  suggested.  Light  cases  will  usually 
cause  more  or  less  discomfort  for  a  week  or  ten  days; 
but  ivy  poisoning  can  be  a  very  serious  matter.  For 
those  who  know  themselves  to  be  unusually  suscepti- 
ble a  daily  rubbing  especially  of  hands,  neck  and 
face,  with  a  cloth  wet  with  alcohol,  may  act  as  an 
armor  against  its  attacks.  To  such,  a  crystal  of  citric 
acid,  dampened  and  rubbed  over  the  spots  as  soon  as 
they  appear,  and  repeated  frequently,  is  a  safeguard. 
Such  treatment  will  usually  cure  in  from  twenty-four 
to  forty-eight  hours. 

POPULAR  NAMES  OF  COMMON  WEEDS 

1.  Burdock,  cockle  button,  beggar's  buttons,  hurr- 
burr,  stick  button,  hardock  and  hardane. 

2.  Mullein,  great  mullein,  velvet  plant,  velvet  or 
mullein  dock,  blanket  leaf,  flannel  leaf,  feltwort,  old 
man's  flannel,  Adam's  flannel,  Jacob's  staff,  Jupiter's 
staff,  Peter's  staff.  Shepherd's  club,  candlewick, 
torchwort,  torches,  hedge  taper,  lungwort  and  hare's 
beard.     A  stalk  has  been  known  to  have  60,000  seeds. 

216 


AN  interlude:  some  garden  weeds 

3.  Broad-leaved  dock,  little  dock,  blunt  leaved 
dock,  button  dock  and  common  dock. 

4.  Yellow  dock,  curled,  narrow  or  sour  dock.  This, 
the  broad-leaved  and  the  yellow-rooted  water  dock  are 
used  in  medicine. 

5.  Couch  grass,  dog  grass,  quick,  quack  or  quitch 


Mullein 


Flowering  Plant  of  Burdock 


grass,  twitch  or  witch  grass,  wheat  grass,  quake  grass 
Dutch  grass,  devil's  grass,  creeping  wheat  grass  and 
various  other  names.  Plough  up  the  roots  and  burn 
them,  for  they  are  long  and  tenacious  of  life,  oozing 
with  vitality  at  every  point. 

217 


AMONG   SCHOOL    GARDENS 

6.  Jimson  weed,  Jamestown  weed,  apple  of  Peru, 
thorn  apple,  mad  apple,  devil's  apple,  common 
stramonium. 


Mullein 


2l8 


I 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN  IN  VACATION  AND 
TERM  TIME 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  SCHOOL  GARDEN  IN  VACATION  AND 
TERM  TIME 

"The  earth  is  here  so  kind,  that  just  tickle  her  with  a  hoe  and 
she  laughs  with  a  harvest." — Douglas  Jerrold. 

"This  movement  is  one  of  national  importance — one  that  is  des- 
tined to  have  a  profound  influence  on  educational  thought  and 
educational  method  in  this  country;  it  supplies  one  of  the  glaring 
defects  in  our  system  of  elementary  instruction." — W.  J.  Spillman. 

THE  scope  of  the  instruction  in  a  school  gar- 
den varies  greatly,  from  simple  cultural 
directions  at  one  end  of  the  scale  to  the 
full  use  of  all  that  its  vegetable  and  animal  life 
may  suggest  to  the  trained  school  gardener  or 
skilful  teachers  with  which  it  may  be  connected. 
While  trained  school  gardeners  remain  in  the 
minority,  gardens  conducted  during  vacation  time 
are  likely  to  confine  themselves  to  the  simple  cul- 
tivation of  plants.  Where  they  possess  a  trained 
staff,  their  activities  are  utilized  to  the  utmost. 
Keeping  in  mind  these  variations  in  scope  and 
purpose,  the  school  garden  will  now  be  considered, 
first,  as  an  occupation  for  the  vacation  time,  and 
second,  as  an  adjunct  to  or  a  corporate  part  of 
the  school. 

221 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Of  school  gardens  which  exert  by  far  the  greater 
part  of  their  influence  during  the  summer  there 
are  (i)  those  that  belong  to  the  vacation  school;* 

(2)  those  that  emphasize  that  phase  of  agricul- 
tural   training    known  as  truck  gardening;    and 

(3)  those  that  serve  a  sociological  rather  than 
an  educational  purpose.  They  are  actually  social 
centers  for  the  children,  though  they  may  or  may 
not  be  centers  from  which  radiate  such  activi- 
ties as  properly  constitute  a  social  settlement. 
They  may  offer  no  more  than  the  opportunity  to 
cultivate  a  few  flowers  and  vegetables  together 
with  directions  for  the  use  of  insecticidesf  to  a 
group  of  children  that  it  is  desired  to  benefit  by 
wholesome  occupation.  They  may  be  conducted 
for  every  possible  attraction  that  will  enable  them 
to  hold  and  to  mould  children;  to  give  the  latter 
happy  hours  and  cultivate  their  hearts  and  minds 
while  training  their  hands  to  useful  toil.  Some 
vacation  gardens  hold  the  child's  interest  in  grow- 
ing things  throughout  the  fall  and  winter,  by 
indoor  study  of  nature,  and  by  work  among 
plants  in  a  greenhouse  or  under  sash.  Further, 
such  gardens  sometimes  supplement  this  work  by 
courses  in  manual  training  preparatory  in  part  to 

*  School  gardens  belonging  to  summer  students  of  normal  schools 
or  universities  are  a  class  by  themselves, — often  hybrids.  They  are 
wholly  in  the  hands  of  adults  or  they  are  children's  gardens  receiving 
summer  care;  or,  if  children  are  connected  with  them,  they  are 
pupils  from  a  vacation  school  or,  more  frequently,  volunteers  from 
among  the  school  children  of  the  vicinity. 

t  See  Appendix  A,  Note  16. 

222 


'  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

the  employments  of  the  garden;  by  elementary 
arts  and  crafts  work,  and  by  maintaining  a 
winter  playground  and  club  house. 

Gardens  in  connection  with  vacation  schools 
are  likely  to  suffer  from  the  fact  that  the  school  is 
open  for  a  short  season  only,  and  also  from  the 
meagre  and  short-lived  support  which  their  share 
of  the  vacation  school  funds  usually  provides. 
Unless  outside  aid  can  be  secured,  the  garden  runs 
the  risk  of  having  to  close  before  the  crops  are 
ripe,  which  is  not  fair  to  the  children. 

Of  the  second  class  of  gardens,  three  have 
already  been  mentioned;  namely,  the  pioneer  gar- 
den of  the  National  Cash  Register  Company  at 
Dayton,  the  garden  of  the  School  of  Horticul- 
ture at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  and  the  Training 
(harden  of  the  Home  Gardening  Association  of 
Cleveland.  In  each  of  these  the  work  is  planned 
preeminently  to  give  a  practical,  serviceable, 
remunerative  knowledge  of  truck  gardening.  Yet 
the  underlying  aim  of  Mr.  Patterson  and  Dr. 
Goodwin,  the  founders  of  the  two  first  named 
gardens,  was  the  broad  purpose  of  developing  the 
boy  through  the  labor  performed,  the  special 
knowledge  gained,  and  habits  formed.  The  same 
desire  to  cultivate  boys  as  well  as  plants,  pre- 
vails at  the  Cleveland  Training  Garden.  Be- 
cause its  method  of  training  is  so  individual  and 
because  the  boys  are  encouraged  to  stay  for  play, 
this  garden  in  a  measure  falls  into  the  third  class 
of  vacation  school  gardens. 

223 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

These  three  gardens  give  a  graded  system  of 
work  which,  however,  is  only  loosely  defined  at 
Cleveland  and  Dayton.  In  the  former  city,  the 
boys  are  in  charge  of  a  superintendent  and  assistant 
teacher  who  take  the  greatest  pains  to  make  them 
realize  the  freedom  accorded  them  in  the  garden. 
Each    boy's    development,    as    agriculturist    and 


Comparing  Crops 


embryo  citizen,  is  watched  over.  The  garden- 
ing program  is  not  yet  completed  but  the  inten- 
tion is  to  develop  a  three  years'  course  and, 
perhaps,  to  end  it  with  a  taste  of  nearly  all  the 
activities  of  a  farm. 

At  Dayton,  a  trained  gardener,  one  fond  of 
children,  is  employed  to  have  the  care  of  the 
gardens  and  flower  beds,  and  to  inspect  and 
instruct    in  the    boys'    section.      The    Hartford 

224 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

plan  is  different.  Not  so  much  attention  is 
given  to  nature  study.  Easy,  graded,  outdoor 
lessons  are  given  in  horticulture  and  in  some 
of  the  work  in  the  greenhouse,  together  with 
the  budding,  grafting,  and  transplanting  that 
can  be  done  in  the  tree  section,  grapery  and 
small  fruit  areas.  The  director,  the  superintend- 
ent of  grounds  and  the  assistant  teachers  have 
the  work  in  charge.  There  is  a  progressive 
scheme  of  planting.  The  first  year,  the  seeds  are 
selected.  The  boys  of  the  third  and  fourth  years 
are  allowed  considerable  latitude  in  the  selection 
of  their  crops.* 

With  such  gardens  as  these  three  may  be  classed 
the  many  others  which  hold  the  child  by  the  ap- 
peal to  what  he  can  make.  The  older  boys  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  are  past  the  age  to  play  at  being 
farmers.  They  want  work  and  a  relatively  large 
area  of  crops  to  show  for  it.  They  are  willing  to 
work  if  they  can  have  returns  that  seem  worth 
while  either  as  a  frequent  contribution  to  the 
family  table  or  as  a  sum  total  represented  by  so 
much  cash  at  the  end  of  the  summer.  Experi- 
ence teaches  that  from  a  business  point  of  view, 
the  plot  should  be  at  least  8  x  lo  feet  if  the  child 
farmer  is  to  make  any  profit,  while  such  a  garden 
would  require  at  least  three  half-hours  a  week  for 
cultivation.  The  older  boys,  if  they  can  give  the 
time  to  it,  want  plots  at  least  lo  x  20  feet  and 
better  10  x  30  feet.     The  rule  that  goes  into  effect 

♦  See  Appendix  A.  Note  17. 
225 


^         OF  THE         '^ 

UNIVERSITY 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

at  Hartford   in  191  o  is   that   plots  for  the  first, 
second,  third,  and  fourth  year  boys  respectively 


^•s^ 


2>XO 


What  Park  Life   Boys  Plan 


A.  Hedge,  Thunberg's  barberry  (raised  in  nursery).  B.  Flower 
beds,  bordering  entrance  walk;  double  beds  lo  feet  x  20  feet  for  two 
beds.  C.  Entrance  walk;  D.  Shrubbery  at  base  of  loggia.  E. 
Loggia  or  roofed  porch.  F.  Bungalow.  G.  Carriage  turn.  H. 
Rear  entrance.  L  Norway  maples.  J.  Shrubs  and  small  trees. 
K.  Evergreens.  L.  Stable  or  work  house.  N.  Service  road,  16 
feet  wide.  O.  Tents.  P.  Tool  house.  Q.  Hot  frame.  R.  Cold 
frame.     Common,  for  drill,  games,  etc. 


shall  be  8  X  20  feet,  8  x  30  feet,  8  x  40  feet,  and 
8  X  50  feet.* 

*  SeeAppendix  A.Note  i8,  for  the  returns  from  34x8  feet  garden, 
from  one  10  x  30  feet,  and  one  8x16  feet. 

226 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

Of  the  vacation  gardens  that  are  being  con- 
ducted chiefly  for  their  sociological  value,  several 
have  been  mentioned.  They  look  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  child,  the  social  unit  of  the  future, 
and  to  the  immediate  effect  that  his  improvement 
may  exercise  upon  his  home  and  neighborhood. 
Some  of  the  best-known  examples  follow: 

The  work  of  the  Boys'  Brigade,  Toronto, 
Canada,  does  not  center  in  the  garden,  but  the 
latter  is  counted  one  of  the  most  valuable  de- 
partments and  its  products  are  honored  with 
many  prizes  at  the  annual  fair  which  the  boys 
hold.* 

Mrs.  Henry  Parsons'  garden  at  DeWitt  Clinton 
Park,  New  York,  is  a  model  of  what  a  little 
ground  can  do  each  season  for  hundreds  of  chil- 
dren, giving  them  a  safe  place  wherein  to  gather, 
and  happy  work  together,  with  better  ideas  of 
life  and  its  meaning. 

At  Dubuque,  Iowa,  Park  Life  School  Garden 
offers  boys  a  new  kind  of  school  through  the 
summer  months, — an  outdoor  school  of  life. 
There  must  be  provision  for  the  boy's  work  and 
for  his  play;  for  his  instruction  through  the  ex- 
perience of  others  and  through  his  own  experience; 
and  more  important  still  he  must  learn  the  conduct 
of  life.  Accordingly,  boy  officers  with  the  help 
of  their  adviser-in-chief  manage  Park  Life  School 
Garden  and  conduct  their  magazine,  "  Park  Life." 
In  the  school  garden,  the  boys  are  instructed  in 

♦See  page  15. 
227 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

cultivating  the  ground,  in  raising  vegetables  and 
flowers;  in  the  near  future  they  will  also  have 
practical  work  in  tree  and  fruit  culture.  From 
the  garden  they  must  provide  largely  for  their 
daily  food,  because  for  a  part  of  each  summer  they 
live  in  tents  on  the  high  bluff  upon  which  their 
garden  is  located.     From  the  camp  they  can  see  far 


Park  Life  School  Garden,  Dubuque,  Iowa 

up  and  down  the  Mississippi  River  and  over  into 
Wisconsin.  Part  of  the  summer  program  in- 
cludes a  week  of  tramping  or  driving  through  the 
country  round  about,  which  is  rich  in  historic  and 
geological  interest.  A  daily  talk  or  lecture  is 
given  upon  some  phase  of  the  boys'  work,  while 
the  swimming  pool  and  the  joy  of  camping  offset 
lessons  and  work.     The  gala  week  of  the  summer 

228 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM   TIME 

is  that  when  teachers  of  note  are  invited  to  the 
camp  to  instruct  the  boys,  not  formally,  but  by 
close  companionship  with  them  and  by  lectures  or 
talks  especially  adapted  to  their  day's  occupation. 
Writing  of  his  plan,  Mr.  B.  J.  Horchem,  the  Ad- 
viser-in-Chief,  says:  "Millions  of  dollars  are  given 
to  endow  colleges,  but  ninety-five  per  cent  of  the 


Thf.  Daily  Lecturh  for  Park  Life  Boys 


boys  never  reach  college  at  all;  the  five  per  cent 
or  less  that  do,  are  old  enough  to  help  themselves. 
The  boy  who  enters  Park  Life  is  in  the  greatest 
need,  because  it  is  before  his  labors  are  worth 
anything,  and  at  a  time  when  he  will  learn  to 
feel  that  he  has  a  part  to  play  in  life,  and  that  he 
will  learn  to  know  his  part  and  play  it  well." 

229 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Fairview  Garden  School,  Yonkers,  is  now  sup- 
ported by  the  people  of  that  city.  It  was  started 
about  seven  years  ago  by  Miss  Mary  Marshall 
Butler,  President  of  the  Women's  Institute  of 
Yonkers.  In  1909,  the  Fairview  Garden  School 
Association  of  Yonkers  was  formed  to  manage 
and  provide  the  running  expenses  of  the  garden. 
Its  call  for  $5.00  per  boy  was  promptly  responded 
to.  The  Russell  Sage  Foundation  allows  the 
Association  to  use  the  land,  club  house,  and 
greenhouse  at  a  nominal  rental. 

A  large  building  upon  the  estate  was  renovated 
and  used  in  the  winter  of  1909-19 10  as  a  club 
house  for  boys  and  girls,  a  number  of  whom  had 
had  gardens  during  the  summer.  Its  object  is  to 
provide  normal  social  and  educational  activities 
through  clubs,  talks  on  outdoor  life,  stereopticon 
views  and  formal  lectures,  and  as  far  as  possible 
to  relate  the  winter  work  with  that  of  the  garden 
so  that  interest  in  the  latter  may  be  continuous 
throughout  the  year.  When  the  house  was 
opened  the  children  came  in  such  crowds  that 
they  had  to  be  divided  into  three  groups,  and 
these  again  subdivided  according  to  age.  Over 
800  children  are  registered.  The  house  affords 
accommodations  for  reading  and  game  rooms,  a 
Penny  Provident  Fund  station,  clubs  and  classes. 
A  Junior  Civic  Club  and  a  City  History  Club  are 
projects  of  the  future.*  The  Green  Leaf  Club 
and  the  Vegetable  Class  include  children  who  had 

*See  Appendix  A,  Note  if). 
230 


OF  yW, 


IN    VACATION    AND    TERM    TIME 

gardens  last  year.  Members  of  the  latter  are 
carrying  further  the  study  of  the  vegetables  they 
raised.  They  use  their  summer  note  books  and 
add  items  from  the  winter  course.  Home  work 
is  encouraged  and  each  member  must  grow  at 
least  one  plant,  even  if  the  pot  be  only  an  old 
tomato  can.  The  children  are  thus  held  together 
throughout  the  year  by  their  play  and  social 
instincts  and  their  delight  in  watching  what  they 
have  planted  come  to  fruition.  As  one  of  the 
vice-presidents  of  the  Association  expressed  it, 
"continuity  of  work  gives  double  efficiency.'* 
During  the  autumn  the  garden  was  used  as  a 
general  playground,  and  in  December  it  was 
flooded  and  converted  into  a  skating  rink. 

The  public  schools  of  Pittsburgh  are  under  a 
decentralized  system  and  each  ward  runs  its  own 
schools.  Thus  it  happens  that  the  Pittsburgh 
Playground  Association  receives  an  annual  grant 
from  the  city  to  carry  on  its  work,  which  includes 
schoolyard  playgrounds,  recreation  park  play- 
grounds, recreation  centers  (in  summer,  virtually 
vacation  schools  without  their  formalism),  and 
the  new  department,  established  in  1909,  of 
nature  study  and  school  gardening.  Much  at- 
tention is  given  to  these  two  subjects.  School 
gardens  are  to  be  located  at  each  of  the  large  rec- 
reation centers  with  their  playgrounds,  and  in 
other  suitable  localities.  A  number  are  already 
well  established.  This  is  virtually  social  settle- 
ment work. 

23' 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

One  feature  of  the  nature  study  work  in  Pitts- 
burgh is  the  tramps  that  the  children  take  under 
experienced  teachers.  Any  child  may  go  on 
these.  But  the  pleasure  of  handling  his  treasures 
and  learning  how  to  safely  keep  the  things  that 
he  has  brought  home  from  such  tramps,  watch- 
ing what  will  happen  to  cocoon  or  caterpillar, 
and  the  joy  of  naming,  pressing,  and  mounting 


FlIlbBLKGH    CHILDRhN     EnJUVING    ThBIR    ScHOUL    GaKDLN 


specimens,  with  his  comrades  in  the  sunny  room 
that  is  provided  can  only  be  earned  by  work 
on  a  small  farm  for  the  season.  After  all,  farm- 
ing is  unpleasant  only  when  it  is  very  hot.  So 
think  many  of  the  children  as  they  join  the 
farmer's  squad.  They  have  even  been  known  to 
leave  the  nearby  playground  deserted,  preferring 
the  attraction  of  their  gardens. 

232 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

In  order  to  have  the  children's  work  of  the 
best,  the  conductors  of  the  tramping  excursions 
are  picked  and  especially  trained  teachers.  That 
the  garden  work  may  come  up  to  the  same 
standard  of  quality,  winter  courses  in  nature  study, 
psychology  and  pedagogy  for  the  normal  students 
and  for  teachers  have  been  arranged  by  an 
exchange  of  services  between  the  director  of 
nature  study  and  school  gardening  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Playground  Association  and  the  professors 
of  the  University  of  Pittsburgh.  The  work  in- 
augurated this  year  promises  to  send  Pittsburgh 
to  the  front  in  school  garden  work  along  with 
Washington,  Cleveland,  Philadelphia  and  Yonkers. 
These  four  cities,  in  the  individual  character  of 
their  work,  are  doing  on  a  large  scale  what  many 
small  communities  are  accomplishing  elsewhere  by 
faithful  efforts  along  the  same  line. 

Coming  now  to  gardens  carried  on  in  connec- 
tion with  the  regular  school  tuition,  we  find  marked 
latitude  in  method  and  range,  varying  from 
voluntary  work  of  children  at  recess  and  before 
and  after  school,  under  the  guidance  of  their  grade 
teachers,  to  regular  teaching  as  a  part  of  the 
curriculum  and  definite  garden  work  in  the  classes 
through  the  year.  Some  illustrations  may  sug- 
gest an  intelligent  choice  of  method. 

One  city  gives  this  example  of  school  gardening 
and  civic  improvement.  The  children  of  several 
schools  situated  in  a  colored  quarter  volunteered 
for  garden   work,   each   room   or  grade   making 

233 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

itself  responsible  for  the  planting  and  care  of  ten 
little  garden  plots  in  the  nearby  backyards.  The 
neighbors  gave  the  ground,  the  children  did  the 
work    and    met    the   necessary   expenses   out   of 


Making  the  Most  of  a  Small  Space 


their  school  fund  which  they  had  raised  in  var- 
ious ways.  Streets  that  had  been  scarcely  more 
than  alleys  took  on  an  orderly  look;  grass  plots 
were  trimmed, — even  with  a  pair  of  old  scissors 

234 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

when  there  was  no  better  means.  Encouraged 
by  their  schoolmates'  labor,  the  children  and 
some  of  their  elders  planted  a  few  small  flower 
beds  of  their  own.  This  city  also  set  a  squad  of 
its  school  boys  to  work  on  a  vacant  lot,  70  x  150 
feet,  where  they  enjoyed  growing  a  mixed  crop, 
largely  beans,  for  the  local  market.  The  experi- 
ment did  them  and  the  neighborhood  good  and 
all  hoped  that  it  would  be  repeated.  In  the  same 
city  one  troop  of  school  children  made  an  excel- 
lent formal  garden. 

Excellent  results  were  obtained  in  Cincinnati, 
where  the  Woman's  Club  has  encouraged  garden- 
ing among  the  school  children,  chiefly  at  their 
homes,  it  distributed  seeds  and  hired  one  of 
the  university  students  to  give  talks,  inspect  the 
children's  home  gardens  (over  1000  in  1908), 
and  to  supervise  the  work  at  the  Douglas  School 
garden,  Walnut  Hills.  The  gardens  varied  in 
size  from  a  reasonably  large  backyard  vegetable 
patch  to  a  window  ledge  of  cans  with  growing 
plants  or  to  a  tiny  space  made  by  taking  up  a  few 
bricks  in  the  crowded  and  densely  populated 
districts  where  tall  apartment  houses  and  tene- 
ments elbow  each  other.  Many  neighborhoods 
having  gardens  were  much  improved.  The  Doug- 
las School  garden,  carried  on  throughout  the 
summer  by  the  colored  children,  collected  from 
different  parts  of  the  city  for  this  vacation 
school,  is  one  of  the  brightest  and  trimmest  and 
most  satisfactory  among  the  smaller  gardens  of 
.8  235 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

the  country.  It  is  located  on  two  sides  of 
its  school,  and  on  one  side  runs  far  back.  Its 
flowers  were  massed  in  the  front,  while  long 
lines  of  vegetables  stretched  away  in  the  back- 
ground. There  were  twelve  rooms  in  the  school 
and  as  in  the  spring,  each  class  had  planted 
and  tended  its   own  vegetable  and  flower  plot, 


The  Douglas  School  Garden,  Cincinnaii 


SO  in  the  summer  time,  each  grade  carried 
on  the  work,  though  with  a  different  set  of  chil- 
dren. It  showed  good  planting  with  sufficient 
uniformity  and  excellent  results,  and  gave  evi- 
dence of  intelligent  supervision  and  a  recognition 
of  those  silent  values  that  build  character  and 
develop  a   sense  of   citizenship.      Its  effect  was 

236 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

felt  in  the  improvement  of  home  premises.  The 
gardens  of  several  other  neighborhoods  could  well 
compare  with  the  much-praised  improvements  in 
those  sections  of  Dayton  influenced  by  the  lesson 
of  the  Boys'  Gardens  of  the  National  Cash  Register 
Company  of  that  town. 

The  utilization  of  a  garden  in  connection  with 
two  schools  of  New  York  city  illustrates  what  can 
be  done  when  there  is  a  will  to  make  a  way.  In 
one  case  a  3J  foot  border  around  a  90  foot  play- 
ground was  made  by  tearing  out  the  concrete  and 
carting  in  soil.  The  garden  cost  |8o.  It  grew 
in  the  spring  cosmos,  beans,  lettuce,  beets,  nas- 
turtiums, radish  and  sweet  alyssum;  in  the  fall, 
one  row  each  of  daffodils  and  hyacinths  and  six  of 
tulips  were  planted.  Down  town  in  Greenwich 
Avenue  another  small  garden  (see  page  238)  holds 
the  interest  of  many  little  folks.  Each  grade 
and  each  division  is  represented  by  two  young 
farmers  who  not  only  take  care  of  their  section 
in  the  garden  but  must  be  able  to  tell  their 
classmates  all  about  its  growth.  These  lectures 
are  supplemented  by  the  nature-study  teacher. 
Work  in  the  garden  is  enjoyed  by  the  drawing 
classes  also. 

New  York  has  no  school  gardens  officially 
recognized  as  a  part  of  her  school  system.  There 
are  a  few  in  connection  with  the  vacation  schools. 
DeWitt  Clinton  Park  School  Farm  belongs  to 
the  municipal  park  system.  Though  it  offers 
nature  study  material  to  nearby  schools  and  ob- 

237 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

servation  practice  to  visiting  classes,  it  is  a  summer 
garden  in  that  the  greater  part  of  its  work  is 
done,  as  has  been  said,  during  the  vacation 
months.     Many  of  the  school  teachers  of  Greater 


Conquering  Difficulties,  P.  S.  41,  Manhattan,*  New  York 
City 


New  York  are  firm  beHevers  in  the  gospel  of  the 
school  garden  and  to  further  it  have  formed  The 

*  In  sections  of  the  oval,  the  children  raised  peas,  carrots  and 
beans  bordered  by  dwarf  nasturtiums;  lettuce  and  zinnias;  balsam 
and  radishes  (the  flowers  blooming  after  the  vegetables  were  gone); 
and  one  section  of  potatoes. 

In  the  border,  the  gardeners  of  the  different  grades  raised  daffo- 
dils, narcissus,  hyacinth  together  with  cypress  and  madeira  vine; 
pansies,  dwarf  nasturtiums,  sweet  alyssum  and  scarlet  runner  bean; 
a  rhubarb  plant,  a  seedling  oak  and  maple,  a  hydrangea,  iris,  mari- 
gold, zinnia  and  wild  aster;  day  lilies,  violets,  lily  of  the  valley, 
radishes  and  zinnia;   while  the  sixth  grade  had  a  wild  flower  plot. 

238 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM   TIME 

School  Garden  Association  of  New  York,  with  a 
membership  of  looo.  Their  first  annual  report  in 
the  spring  of  1909  showed  over  80  school  gardens 
carried  on  by  the  voluntary  efforts  of  these  public 
school  teachers. 

The  gardens  just  described  are  but  loosely 
connected  with  the  school  life.  Philadelphia, 
by  contrast,  correlates  the  garden  work  with 
that  of   the   school   "from   the    kindergarten    to 


School  Gardkn  and  Arsenal  Park,  Pittsburch,  Pa. 


the  senior  class  of  the  normal."  During  the 
school  term,  the  classes  from  the  kindergarten 
to  the  fourth  grade  inclusive  visit  the  garden  dur- 
ing school  hours.  There,  they  have  a  talk  of 
fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  and  then,  on  the  class 
plots,  put  into  practice  what  they  have  heard, 
observing  and  working  the  rest  of  the  period.  The 
talks  or  lessons  are  progressive  through  these 
grades  as  are  those  for  the  individual  plot  holders 

239 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

who  come  from  the  fifth,  sixth  and  seventh  grades 
to  work  in  the  garden  after  school  from  three- 
thirty  to  five  o'clock.  These  last  are  children  who 
ask  to  be  farmers.  At  the  end  of  the  school  year 
they  surrender  their  plots  to  a  new  set  of  children 
who  possess  them  during  the  summer,  during 
which  time  the  class  plots  become  sample  plots. 
The  correlation  of  the  garden  work  is  left  to  the 
grade  teachers.  The  summer  lessons  are  distinct 
from  those  of  term  time  and  are  also  progressive. 
A  summer's  day  is  divided  as  follows: 

8.00-8.20  A.  M.     Nature  study  lesson. 

8.20-9.30  A.  M.     Individual  plot  work. 

9.30-10.00  A.  M.  Work  on  borders  and  sample 
plots. 

The  vacation  classes  are  large  and  come  three 
times  each  week,  being  subdivided  into  two  sec- 
tions, A  and  B.  The  B  section  follows  A  and 
repeats  the  program  from  10  to  12  a.  m.  The 
last  half  hour  of  the  session  is  reserved  for  the 
teachers  for  the  inspection  and  clerical  work  that 
ends  the  day. 

In  Cleveland,  the  bond  between  garden  and 
school  is  looser,  while  in  Washington  the  garden 
work  is  minutely  defined  in  every  grade  and  each 
child  has  as  regular  work  allotted  to  him  in  the 
garden,  as  in  arithmetic  or  other  studies. 

At  the  Whittier  School  of  Hampton  Institute 
(see  footnote,  page  21)  the  garden  is  closely  asso- 
ciated with  the  work  in  nature  study  and  draw- 
ing.    Here,   as  in   some  other  schools,  exercises 

240 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

consist  of  cutting  silhouettes  of  garden  tools  and 
picturing  little  gardens  by  clippings  from  florists' 
catalogues.  Strings  and  necklaces  of  seeds,  seed 
pictures  and  twig  stories,  as  well  as  furniture 
made  of  burdock  burs,  allow  the  children's 
hands  to  work  out  their  own  ideas.  School- 
garden  work  of  the  same  character  must  not  be 
repeated  through  the  grades.  It  must  be  adapted 
to  the  age  and  the  experience  of  the  children. 
This  may  be  accomplished  in  several  ways. 

An  eastern  Normal  School,  Hyannis,  Mass., 
in  its  six  years  of  school  life  offers  gardening  to 
the  children  practically  during  three  years  of  the 
course,  each  being  a  full  garden  year.  The  school 
garden  course  takes  its  place  in  the  spring  in 
the  second,  fourth  and  eighth  grades  and  in  the 
fall  in  the  third,  fifth  and  ninth.  Dr.  W.  A.  Bald- 
win considers  that  the  natural  standpoint  from 
which  to  view  the  school  garden  is  as  a  farm  that 
is  to  minister  to  human  needs.  Consequently, 
it  is  best  seen  in  connection  with  a  home.  In 
such  a  garden  each  child  performs  his  own  labor 
and  enjoys  the  fruit  of  that  labor.  At  the  gar- 
den in  Hyannis  every  effort  is  made  to  conform 
to  this  idea.  In  the  laying  out  of  the  vegetable 
beds  of  the  fourth  grade,  it  is  planned  to  make 
the  individual  plots  in  long  continuous  rows  of 
about  twenty-five  feet  so  that  the  general  appear- 
ance would  be  that  of  a  garden  on  an  ordinary 
farm  or  on  the  child's  home  lot.  Indeed,  he  is 
expected,  with  the  co-operation  of  his  parents,  to 

241 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

reproduce  his  school  garden  at  home,  on  a  larger 
scale. 


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Plan  of  Hyannis  Garden 
242 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM   TIME 

With  little  children  there  must  be  a  close 
resemblance  of  form,  for  individual  initiative  is 
not,  as  yet,  developed.  The  child  must  have  in 
his  home  about  the  same  tools  and  plans  to  work 
with  that  he  has  in  the  school  garden,  or  he  will 
fail  to  carry  his  knowledge  from  one  to  the  other. 
But  in  the  second  grade,  work  is  confined  to  the 
child's  innate  love  of  digging  and  to  calling  his 
attention  to  the  major  differences  in  form,  color 
and  growth  of  the  simplest  flowers  of  which  he 
may  become  the  owner.  These  are  selected  by 
color  and  the  garden  is  planned  for  color  masses. 
A  little  later  he  is  to  grow  his  plants  not  for 
himself  alone  but  to  share  fruit  or  flower  with 
his  home  people.  In  the  fourth  grade  he  has 
chiefly  vegetables,  and  is  taught  to  harvest 
them  and  take  them  home  in  good  condition  to 
his  mother.  In  this  year's  work  he  is  expected 
to  market  enough  of  his  crop  to  pay  for  his  seeds. 
In  the  eighth  and  ninth  grades  the  children  are 
expected  to  pay  all  expenses  from  the  returns. 
In  these  grades  also,  they  are  expected  to  plan 
their  work,  map  out  its  details,  arrange  for  plow- 
ing and  fertilizing,  do  the  planting,  market  the 
produce  and  carry  on  in  the  school  all  those  neces- 
sary operations  of  accounts  and  banking  that  the 
up-to-date  farmer  would  meet  in  converting  his 
seed  into  crops  and  these  into  his  bank  account. 
The  children  have  practical  problems  in  arith- 
metic and  in  surveying;  practice  work  in  cooking; 
exercises   in    English   based   upon   their  garden; 

243 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

instruction   in  drawing,   and   in   making  garden 
accessories  in  the  manual  training  department. 

In  the  management  of  the  garden  and  of  the 
necessary  money,  the  class  fund,  garden  club, 
and  parliamentary  debate  find  a  place.  Here 
the  commercial  basis  is  a  natural  one  because  as 
the  work  is  done  by  the  children  these  different 
problems  arise  and  their  solution  becomes  of  vital 
importance  to  them.  In  connection  with  these, 
the  child's  relation  to  his  mates  gives  opportunity 
for  the  study  of  ethical  questions  and  for  a  well- 
rounded  development.  School  gardening  is  not 
dragged  into  each  school  exercise  of  every  day, 
but  for  the  few  weeks  in  spring  and  fall  of  the 
years  in  which  it  occurs  it  is  made  the  center  of 
the  school  activities. 

The  State  Normal  University  at  Normal, 
Illinois,  with  its  school  garden  of  two  and  one- 
/  fourth  acres,  its  4  x  lo  foot  plots,  and  areas  for 
field-crops,  corn  and  fruits,  conducts  its  work 
somewhat  difi*erently.  The  crops  grown  by  the 
children  are  not  theirs.  They  are  grown  for  the 
nature  study,  art,  or  domestic  science  depart- 
ments of  the  normal  school.  In  the  intermediate 
grades  the  children  are  required  to  have  home 
gardens  and  to  report  their  condition  and  bring 
samples  of  their  produce.  In  this  way  home  and 
school  are  connected.  The  use  of  the  garden 
grows  with  the  child's  development  through  the 
eight  grades.  Here  is  one  of  the  best  illustra- 
tions of  the  value  of  the  school  garden  to  enrich 

244 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM   TIME 

school  life  from  the  kindergarten  until  and  after 
the  children  take  up  elementary  agriculture. 

*'The  scope  of  our  work  expands  with  the  age 
of  the  pupils.  .  .  .  The  upper-grade  students 
and  students  in  the  normal  department  make  the 
garden  auxiliary  to  their  science  work.  .  .  . 
Few  individual  plots  are  assigned  in  the  school 
garden.     We  have  arranged,  however,  to  use  for 


Sixth  Grade  Pupils  Budding  Peachf.s.  Normal.  Ill 


individual  plots  this  season  with  the  seventh, 
eighth,  ninth  and  tenth  grade  children  a  portion 
of  our  university  farm  of  95  acres  lying  just 
across  the  road  from  the  school  garden.  The 
land  will  be  laid  off  in  strips  of  100  feet  wide  with 
paths.  The  land  in  these  strips  will  be  rented  to 
the  students  at  2  cents  per  front  foot  ($8.70  per 
acre).     No  pupil  may  rent  more  than  one-fourth 

245 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

acre.  The  land  will  be  ploughed  and  harrowed 
for  the  boys  and  we  expect  most  of  it  to  be  put 
into  corn.  .  .  .  We  are  about  to  extend  our 
garden  work  now  to  our  farm  which  heretofore 
has  been  leased,  and  in  the  next  few  years  hope 
to  have  as  successful  practical  work  in  agricul- 
ture and  horticulture  as  is  found  anywhere  in 
our  country."* 

Beginning  in  the  spring  of  the  first  year,  seeds 
are  planted  in  egg  shells  to  take  home  or  to 
transplant  into  the  school  garden.  Seeds  of 
the  four-o'clock,  the  nasturtium,  radish,  lettuce, 
and  beans,  are  planted  by  these  little  children. 
Smaller  and  finer  seeds,  more  varied  plants  and 
more  comprehensive  work  are  subjects  taken  up  as 
the  child  advances.  In  the  third  grade  there  are 
simple  exercises  in  germination  and  plant  growth, 
in  the  comparison  and  selection  of  seed.  This 
grade  does  some  work  with  simple  cuttings, 
while  a  more  extended  study  of  them  is  deferred 
to  the  seventh.  The  work  each  spring  is  in 
large  measure  a  preparation  for  that  of  the  fall, 
as  in  slightly  less  degree  the  fall  work  is  a  prepa- 
ration for  the  spring.  The  gathering  of  seeds, 
their  storing,  and  some  of  the  winter  work  in  the 
greenhouse  where  the  children  pot,  plant  seed- 
lings, and,  as  they  are  old  enough,  learn  the  pro- 
cess of  budding  and  grafting,  are  of  especial 
value. 

The  children  of  the  fourth  grade  study  bulbs, 

♦Letter  of  President  David  Felmley.  January  31.  iQio. 
246 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

tubers  and  roots  as  well  as  seeds,  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  means  by  which  plants  increase.  In 
the  fifth  grade  they  study  the  life  history  of  a 
plant ;  as  for  example  the  beet — a  biennial — 
while  the  sixth  learn  to  make  and  use  a  cold  frame. 
They  also  make  a  careful  study  of  the  cabbage 
family. 

In  the  upper  grades,  well  defined  color  schemes 
of  planting  are  worked  out,  and  experiments 
of  varied  character  with  different  crops  and  fer- 
tilizers, etc.  The  boys  take  the  farm  problems 
and  the  girls  the  aesthetic.  The  school  plan  calls 
for  certain  work  to  be  done  at  the  same  time 
in  the  home  gardens  and  thus  strengthens  the 
children's  interest  by  winning  their  parents. 
The  whole  plan  of  the  garden  is  most  attractive; 
the  flower  section,  about  half  an  acre  in  extent, 
is  massed  to  the  front.  The  waving  grains, 
vegetables,  nurseries,  graperies  and  experimental 
plots  are  at  the  rear. 

Some  schools  begin  growing  plants  for  nature 
study  and  develop  a  garden  as  "the  pivot  around 
which  the  course  of  study  revolves.*'  The  work 
through  the  school  year  is  done  by  the  regular 
instructors  who  spend  one  hour  each  week  in 
the  garden.  The  summer  work  may  have  a 
special  instructor  for  half  of  each  day. 

We  give  in  the  compositions  that  follow  two 
illustrations  of  the  correlation  of  garden  and 
language  work. 


247 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


Com 
Corn  belongs  to  the  grass  family,  the  stalk  is  jointed, 
and  the  leaves  and  ears  grow  from  the   joints.     It 
grows  from  eighteen  inches  to  thirty  feet  high. 

There  are  four  kinds  of  corn  that  grow  in  Minnesota. 
They  are  Dent  Flint,  Sweet  and  popcorn. 

Corn  is  planted  in 
hills  about  three  feet 
eight  inches  apart, 
when  the  weather  is 
warm  enough.  It 
needs  rich  loam,  and 
warm,  wet  weather  to 
grow  well. 

Corn  is  used  in  feed- 
ing stock  and  making 
glucose   and  oil.     Al- 
cohol    is    also    made 
from    it.      We   make 
corn-meal    and   other 
foods  that  people  eat. 
It   must    be  culti- 
vated very    carefully, 
so  the  weeds  will  not 
grow.      It    must    be 
harvested  before  frost 
comes. 
There  are  about  two  million  bushels  of  corn  raised 
in  the  United  States  every  year.     Corn  is  a  native  of 
Mexico. 

The  Indians  used  it  for  food  when  America  was 
discovered.  They  buried  it  in  the  ground  to  keep  it. 
Maize  is  another  name  for  it.  Goldie  Kelly.     B5. 

248 


Child  with  Grain 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

Cruciform  Family 
We  all  planted  some  member  of  this  family.  We 
sold  dozens  of  radishes  from  our  beds.  We  planted 
the  cabbage  turnip  kale  and  candy  tuft.  We  know 
this  family  because  its  flower  is  the  shape  of  a  cross. 
One  Httle  girl  sold  forty  dozen  radishes  one  morning. 

Mildred  Anderson     B3. 

Correlation  of  arithmetic  and  gardening  work 
is  illustrated  in  the  following  account: 
Northrup,  King  &  Co., 
26,  28,  30  and  32  Hennepin  Ave., 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  5I22I09. 
Sold  to  Maple  Hill  School  Garden 
Ship  to  Fierce  School 
Address  City 
Ship  via  Call 

25  Capt.  Jack  Strawberry  Flants.  .fo  50 

I  3  yr.  old  Wealthy  apple  tree  ...       40 

10  Raspberries  Red 60 

5  Black  Cap 50 

5  Blackberries  Ancient  Briton 50 

The  La  France  Set  Roses 33 

I  Baby  Rambler 12 

I  Minnesota  Sorghum 10 

I  Broom  Corn 10 

50  Asparagus  Roots  2  yrs 60 

75  Celery  plants 75 

1  doz.  Zyrian  Rose  Fhlox i   50 

Castor  Oil  Bean 5 

2  pkts.  Scarlet  Sage lo 

16  15 
Elmer  Anderson        A8. 
249 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

To  avoid  overlapping  of  work,  a  school  that 
uses  a  garden  for  group  work  almost  entirely 
gives  its  kindergarten  children  several  kinds 
of  seeds  to  plant  and  watch  grow.  The  first 
grade  had  radishes  and  nasturtiums;  the  second 
lettuce  and  zinnias;  the  third  had  in  the  fall 
indoor  bulb  planting  and  in  the  spring  (the 
garden  season  was  April  to  June  and  September 
to  October)  the  planting  of  onions,  peanuts  and 
beans.  The  children  of  this  grade  also  made  a 
study  of  some  flower,  planting  it  as  one  member 
of  a  group  or  family.  As  the  children  ranged 
from  five  to  sixteen  years  in  age,  the  fourth 
grade  added  transplanting  to  their  work,  and 
took  up,  in  the  experimental  plots,  the  study  of 
corn,  wheat  and  oats.  In  the  fifth  grade  cotton, 
hemp  and  flax  were  grown  to  illustrate  their 
lessons  in  geography,  while  the  sixth  worked 
with  tree  seedlings,  the  seventh  with  a  wildflower 
bed  and  made  simple  experiments  with  vege- 
tables. The  eighth  took  care  of  a  decorative 
border  on  this  200  x  25  foot  garden,  growing 
both  annuals  and  perennials.*  This  school  had 
500  home  gardeners  among  its  600  children. 

Variety  of  work  may  be  secured  by  studying  the 
same  subject  from  different  points  of  view.  An 
exhaustive  study  of  a  plant  is  not  suitable  for  the 
lower  grades.  How  corn  grows  and  its  conver- 
sion into  flour  is  interesting  to  young  children. 
Its  pollination  is  a  good  study  for  several  grades, 

*  Carroll  Robbins  School,  Trenton,  N.J. 
250 


i:\BRA  ^ 


19 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM   TIME 

but  its  place  as  an  economic  grain  in  the  world's 
markets  should  come  after  some  idea  of  geography, 
of  material  resources,  and  of  the  inter-relation  of 
men  and  states  has  been  obtained. 

Another  method  is  to  use  plants  to  illustrate 
hygiene  in  the  sixth  grade  and  physics  in  the 
seventh,  adding  in  the  eighth  specialized  studies 
of  the  relations  of  plants  and  of  their  historic 
and  commercial  value. 

From  these  illustrations  some  generalizations 
as  to  the  adaptability  of  school  gardening  to  the 
different  grades  may  be  drawn.  Children  be- 
low the  fifth  or  even  the  sixth  grade  require  very 
simple  garden  operations  unless  they  have  been 
gradually  led  up  to  the  handling  of  fine  seed 
and  the  care  of  delicate  plants.  In  small  groups, 
they  will  do  well  working  together  on  class  plots, — 
do  better  gardening  work,  unless  there  is  ample 
time  and  the  competent  and  thorough  supervision 
given  to  the  individual  plot  culture  which  is  always 
the. desideratum.  Kindergarten  children  can  be 
effectively  managed  if  each  step  of  bulb  or  seed 
planting  is  taken  separately  and  required  to  be 
completed  by  all  before  the  class  passes  to  the 
next.  Much  of  it,  like  the  dropping  of  seed  and  the 
placing  of  bulbs,  can  be  done  by  the  class  in  mili- 
tary  file.  If  a  long  straight  board  is  used  to 
place  over  the  freshly  covered  seeds,  the  children 
marching  on  it  may  firm  them  down.  The  same 
board  may  be  used  for  the  children  to  stand  on 
while  making  their  furrows  along  its  edge  and  while 

25' 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

dropping  the  seed,  and  so  save  a  great  deal  of 
trampling  on  the  little  gardens  and  some  soiling 
of  shoes  and  clothes. 

Little  children  should  be  given  garden  lessons 
that  deal  with  big  seeds,  bright  colors  and  a 
few  of  the  very  familiar  and  easily  grown  sturdy 
plants.  Their  plots  may  vary  from  2x2  feet 
to  4  X  8  feet  or  they  may  each  have  very  short 


First  Grade  Children  Learning  the  Names  of  the 
Flowers,  Pueblo,  Col. 


Strips  of  the  class  plot  put  under  their  special 
care  and  watchfulness.  Children  from  the  sixth 
grade  up  to  fourteen  years  ought  to  have  at  least 
4x8  feet  beds,  better  still  5x10  feet  and  the 
quicker  or  more  experienced  10  x  i  5  to  10  x  20  feet. 
The  latter  size  is  a  little  large  for  one  hour  per  week 
of  cultivation,  but  when  a  child  may  have  more 
time,  though  but  once  a  week,  such  a  plot  can  be 

252 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

well  cared  for.  The  lo  x  15  feet  is  believed  by 
many  experienced  teachers  to  be  fully  as  large  as 
the  average  child  under  fourteen  can  well  manage 
in  the  one,  two  or  three  periods  per  week  usually 
required. 

The  size  of  the  individual  plot,  aside  from  con- 
sideration of  the  area  of  the  garden  and  the  age 
of  the  child,  should  be  determined  in  part  bv  the 


DhWrn  Clinion   Park  School  CjAKDhN,  Nhw   Vokk 


character  of  the  work  planned  and  by  the  quan- 
tity of  produce  that  will  make  gardening  seem 
worth  while  to  the  child,  or  even,  in  some  places, 
to  the  parents.  They  may  in  the  summer  time  pre- 
fer to  have  the  children  work  at  home  or  elsewhere 
for  a  mere  pittance  in  cash  or  even  to  gather  coal 
from  the  ash  dump.  Small  plots  will  yield  from 
I2.50  to  I5.00  worth  of  vegetables,  not  otherwise 
obtainable  by  many  poor  families,  and,  if  sold  to 

253 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

the  home  folks  or  neighbors,  or  at  the  market,  are 
an  inducement  to  boys  of  well-to-do  families  to 
sustained  efforts  in  order  to  increase  their  spending 
money  or  show  what  they  can  do.  In  the  school 
term,  gardening  is  frequently  offered  in  the  fifth, 
sixth  and  seventh  grades  and  not  in  the  eighth,  as 
there  the  children  are  often  over-busy  preparing 
to  meet  the  requirements  necessary  to  pass  to  the 
high  school.  Moreover,  a  large  number  of  children 
leave  the  schools  about  this  grade,  and  gardening 
should  be  taught  them  as  soon  as  they  can  readily 
handle  the  tools  if  they  are  to  learn  enough  of  it  to 
practice  it  for  pleasure  or  to  eke  out  a  livelihood. 

Allied  to  the  school,  the  advantages  that  garden 
work  offers  may  be  considered  under  eleven  heads : 

(i)  The  school  garden  is  the  source  of  the  best 
nature  study  material,  intimately  associated  with 
the  child's  daily  life  and  which  through  owner- 
ship of  an  individual  plot  may  be  one  center  of 
his  childish  interests.  The  use  of  its  materials 
may  be  directed  by  the  nature  study  course  re- 
quired by  the  school  authorities,  or  it  may  con- 
sist of  any  systematized  treatment  sufficient  to 
cover  the  special  interest  that  the  hour  may 
bring.  Whatever  the  aim,  the  period  should  be 
as  free  as  possible  from  the  exactions  of  routine 
work.  The  child  should  feel  his  freedom  and 
rejoice  in  it,  think  and  see  for  himself,  and  freely 
speak  of  his  observations  and  his  conclusions. 
He  should  be  led  to  self-conviction  of  any  that 
are  erroneous.     Where  it  is  possible  to  give  the 

254 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 


child  his  choice  of  seeds,  it  should  be  done  either 
from  a  limited  list  that  seems  large  to  him  or  so 
freely  that  he  may  be  told  that  he  is  to  plant 
anything  he  likes  unless  upon  discussion  he  sees 
his  choice  to  be  unwise  and  voluntarily  relin- 
quishes it.  The  following  is  a  good  list  from 
which  selection  may  be  made: 


VEGETABLES 

String  Bean 

String  Bean,  Wax  . 
Radish 


Lettuce 

Lettuce  Plants 

Beet  

Swiss  Chard  .  . 

Onion 

Onion  Sets  ... 

Parsnip 

Turnip  

Celery  Plants  . 

Carrot 

Parsley 

Peas  


FLOWERS 

Phlox 

Zinnia 

Aster 

Coxcomb 

China  Pinks 

Calendula    

Nasturtium 


The  child  should  have  an  opportunity  for  com- 
plete self-expression.  Whatever  his  leading  motive 
in  his  garden  work  it  should  be  respected;  should, 
if  necessary,  be  toned  down  (if  the  motive  be 
greed  for  gain  or  self  interest  of  an  unworthy 
kind);  should  be  guided,  and  used  to  open  his 
mind  to  other  relations  than  those  he  at  first  sees. 

♦  Fairview  Garden  list. 
255 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

(2)  The  school  garden  in  art  work  provides 
problems  in  design,  color,  form,  grouping  and 
composition;  and  studies  of  raw  materials,  such 
as  stuffs,  dyes  and  paints. 

(3)  The  school  garden  suggests  topics  for 
language  work  whether  in  composition,  spelling 
or  writing.  It  teaches  appreciation  of  the  best 
literature  and  makes  intelligible  many  of  the 
references  in  metaphor,  and  parable.  It  en- 
riches the  child's  mind  by  bringing  to  his  notice 
some  of  the  best  stories,  essays,  and  poems  that 
have  been  written. 

(4)  The  school  garden,  in  mathematical  studies, 
gives  reality  to  principles  which,  except  to  the 
mathematical  mind,  are  vague  and  difficult  to 
grasp.  It  offers  opportunities  for  practical  work 
in  number,  in  elementary  geometry,  in  surveying, 
in  all  kinds  of  measuring  and  for  many  compu- 
tations whether  of  the  farm,  the  shop  or  the  bank. 
The  solution  of  each  of  these  problems  carries 
the  child  a  step  in  advance  and,  unsolved,  they 
halt  and  bafffe  him  in  doing  those  things  in  which 
he  is  vitally  concerned. 

(5)  The  school  garden  in  physics  and  chemistry 
also  requires  problems  of  number  as  well  as  ex- 
planations of  the  natural  forces  and  the  laws  by 
which  they  govern  the  life  or  affect  the  labor  that 
belongs  to  the  plant  world. 

(6)  The  school  garden  associates  itself  with 
household  or  domestic  science  as  the  provider  of 
the  raw  material  of  food  and  textiles,  and  suggests 

256 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

the  large  relations  of  each  whether  geographical, 
industrial,  economic  or  social. 

(7)  in  history  the  school  garden  has  a  less 
prominent  place,  but  it  may  be  made  to  con- 
tribute interest,  if  its  plants  have  a  story  that 
connects  them  with  an  old  custom,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  world's  trade  routes,  the  industrial 
importance  of  nations  or  with  the  wars  that  they 
precipitated. 

(8)  The  school  garden  is  industrial  training. 

(9)  The  school  garden  in  manual  training  offers 
a  motive  for  making  things  for  the  garden,  and 
teaches  helpfulness  and  economy  by  saving 
money  through  the  repair  of  tools  and  the  making 
of  many  garden  accessories.* 

(10)  The  school  garden,  whether  conducted  on 
a  small  or  a  large  scale,  is  elementary  agriculture. 
During  the  years  when  each  child  is  asking  about 
everything  he  meets,  the  three  questions,  What  is 
it?  What  is  it  good  for?  Why  is  it?  the  garden  will 
hold  his  interest  and  serve  as  a  concrete  answer 
when  the  teacher  finds  it  impossible  to  make 
ideas  clear  by  words.  It  seems  almost  criminal 
to  let  the  child's  curiosity  go  unanswered  until 
it  develops  into  indifference  to  his  surroundings 
or  into  an  increasing  dislike  of  them  because 
he   feels    their    monotony   or   drudgery.     Apart 

*  Shrub,  plant  and  pot  label,  cultivating  stick,  line  and  stakes, 
cord  winder,  trellis  (of  different  forms),  flower-pot  stand,  garden 
bench,  sundial,  barometer,  weather  vane,  rain  gauge,  flats  for  seeds, 
root  cages,  spreading  boards  and  insect  boxes,  and  even  bird  boxes 
may  be  made. 

257 


AMONG   SCHOOL    GARDENS 

from  the  question  of  agriculture,  many  a  school 
boy  has  found  his  best  development  through 
the  motor  activities  released  and  the  motives 
of  action  satisfied  in  the  school  garden.  He  may 
be  a  dullard  or  a  laggard  at  his  books,  perhaps 
unsocial  or  unattractive  in  his  personality.  Let 
him  have  a  chance  to  vent  his  feelings  by  work, 
or   satisfy   his   dormant   aesthetic,   or   emotional. 


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nature  through  care  of  his  plants.  If  he  makes 
any  kind  of  a  success  of  his  garden,  his  self 
respect  is  restored  and  he  fmds  his  place  among  his 
fellows. 

(ii)  The  school  garden  improves  the  school 
by  creating  a  strong  social  bond  among  the  pupils 
and  between  the  school  and  the  parents  as  the 
home  gardens  develop.     Here  very  often  morals 

258 


IN    VACATION    AND   TERM    TIME 

and  civics  have  a  more  natural  place  than  in 
the  prescribed  schcx)!  period  for  these  studies. 
Finally  the  school  garden's  call  to  study  things 
rather  than  books,  to  motor  as  well  as  intellectual 
activity,  follows  the  cry  of  all  educational  re- 
formers. It  answers  the  present  day  appeal  for 
an  education  that  will  educate  for  everyday 
living;  and  supplies  in  miniature  the  conditions 
which  the  child  will  soon  be  called  upon  to  meet. 
Thus  armed  to  confront  prejudice  and  to  con- 
quer by  its  worth,  friends  of  the  school  garden 
confidently  expect  its  numbers  to  increase. 


259 


I 


CHAPTER  IX 
SOME  LAST  THINGS 


i 


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OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 


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i 


CHAPTER  IX 
SOME  LAST  THINGS 

"The  man  who  has  planted  a  garden  feels  that  he  has  done  some- 
thing for  the  good  of  the  world.  He  belongs  to  the  producers. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  one's  toil,  if  it  be  nothing  more 
than  a  head  of  lettuce  or  an  ear  of  corn." — Charles  Dudley  Warner. 

ATI  ME  comes  in  every  garden,  carried  on 
through  the  summer  months,  when  interest 
flags.  Usually  this  happens  in  August.  The 
first  joyous  sense  of  proprietorship  has  quieted 
down  into  a  full  assurance  of  ownership  of  crops 
that  are  rapidly  maturing.  The  weeds  have  been 
pretty  thoroughly  discouraged  or  the  plants  seem 
sturdy  enough  to  hold  their  own  against  them. 
The  daily  harvest  may  be  offering  only  slight  re- 
turns outside  of  the  now  familiar  supply  of  greens, 
like  Swiss  chard, or  pickings  of  late  sown  radish  and 
lettuce.  It  is  still  too  early  to  plan  for  the  day 
when  the  little  farmers  will  present  their  exhibits 
at  a  county  fair,  a  harvest  home,  or  the  annual 
fete  that  should  close  the  growing  season  of  the 
garden.  It  is  the  time  when  heat  makes  every 
one  sluggish  and  when  the  swimming  pool  is 
especially  dear;  when  ball  games  and  picnics  are 
being  planned  by  parents  and  children  because 
20  263 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

the  summer  is  passing  and  vacation  will  soon  be 
over. 

Then  it  is  that  teachers  have  anxious  hours  lest 
the  children's  interest  fail;  then  brother  or  sister, 
cousin,  friend  or  neighbor  instead  of  the  unpunc- 
tual  owner  appears  with  the  words,  "  Please  where 
is  Benny's  garden?  I  want  to  pick  the  stuff." 
And  further  explanation  of  the  absent  one's  non- 
appearance follows  which  may  or  may  not  be 
convincing.  The  stranger  goes  to  work  energeti- 
cally with  the  surety  of  quick  return  for  labor— 
for  is  not  the  harvest  at  hand?  He  is  probably 
found  doing  exasperating  and  forbidden  things, 
and  his  lack  of  experience  and  skill  has  to  be 
guarded  against.  Moreover,  why  should  he  not 
pick  the  vegetables  first  and  make  sure  of  his  pay 
for  any  amount  of  labor  he  may  put  upon  the 
little  patch  before  the  unusual  effort  in  the  sun 
fags  him?  The  other  children  have  been  trained 
to  the  habit  of  first  work,  then  pay,  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  plot  and  then  its  harvest,  for  that  is  the 
rule  of  the  garden  that  ensures  systematized  work, 
easy  supervision  and  an  attractive  appearance  in 
which  all  may  take  a  pride  as  the  result  of  their 
joint  labor. 

When  the  children's  interest  flags,  a  gala  time 
should  be  planned  to  break  the  usual  routine  and 
to  compete  with  the  less  profitable  excitements 
that  are  pulling  the  children  away  from  "organ- 
ized recreation," — as  one  garden  calls  its  work. 
But  in   those  gala  days  the  children  should   be 

264 


SOME    LAST  THINGS 

as  much  a  conscious  factor  as  in  any  holiday 
outing. 

If  the  children  have  become  familiar  with  flower, 
plant,  weed  and  insect,  with  soil  and  the  way  it  is 
made  from  rock,  a  field  excursion  may  be  planned 
to  some  good  exploring  ground,  or  better  still 
combined,  if  possible,  with  a  visit  to  some  histori- 
cal site.  A  few  playmates  as  guests  of  the  entire 
company  increase  the  delight  with  which  the 
children  enjoy  making  "finds"  and  explaining 
them.  Apart  from  this  counter  attraction  outside 
the  garden,  there  are  others  for  which  more  active 
preparation  will  be  needed.  By  fete  days,  ex- 
hibitions and  harvest  homes  the  children  testify 
to  the  value  of  school  gardening,  offering  as  evi- 
dence the  work  of  their  hands,  the  output  of  their 
gardens,  and  carefully  worked  out  plans  to  enter- 
tain their  guests.  They  like  so  well  to  do  the  latter 
that  it  is  best  to  have  several  children  at  a  time 
take  turns  in  acting  as  guides  to  visitors  to  the 
garden.  This  gives  a  fine  opportunity  to  develop 
courtesy. 

Not  alone  by  their  garden  festivities  do  the 
children  show  their  approval  of  the  school  garden. 
There  are  times  when  hard  work  unaccompanied 
by  prizes  and  plaudits  is  their  testimony.  Good 
crops  show  careful  preparation  of  soil  and 
cultivation,  but  do  not  necessarily  tell  how  much 
child  labor  and  earnestness  have  gone  into  them, 
in  one  city,  the  children  cleared  off  seventeen 
loads  of  rubbish  in  order  to  start  their  garden. 

265 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

In  a  hot  southern  town,  boys  dug  two  6x12  foot 
holes  to  a  depth  of  2  feet  and  brought  good  soil 
from  a  distance  to  fill  them.  On  these  two  beds, 
they  grew  beans,  onions,  lettuce  and  radishes  so 
successfully  that  the  board  of  education  purchased 
a  lot  in  which  they  were  offered  1 1  square  yards 
for  a  garden.  The  plot  was  almost  a  plantation  of 
rocks.  The  lads,  however,  worked  until  they  had 
removed  all  and  had  sifted  the  soil  for  the  garden. 
The  following  Saturday  fifteen  boys  worked  all  day, 
some  going  dinnerless,  to  get  their  garden  ready  for 
planting.  A  group  of  Philadelphia  mill  girls  spend 
their  noon  hour  in  the  garden.  Children  of  the 
Seward  School,  Rochester,  havegradually  developed 
a  good  scheme  of  school  ground  decoration  from 
the  native  material  on  the  large  open  lot  next  the 
school  house.  This  is  partially  swampy,  and  has 
supplied  willows,  ailanthus,  elderberry,  dogwood 
and  thorn  apple  for  transplanting.  Vines  also  were 
obtained.  Where  temptation  existed  for  pupils 
to  lean  against  shrubbery  or  to  cut  across  the 
lawn,  they  decided  to  plant  a  young  thorn  bush. 
Their  lawn  was  sown  with  grass  seed  sifted  from 
the  dust  of  their  fathers'  hay  mows. 

A  child  gets  profit  and  pleasure  out  of  the  gar- 
den in  direct  proportion  as  he  puts  himself  into 
it,  and  inversely  as  the  teacher  does  his  work  for 
him.  It  is  so  much  easier,  under  the  guise  of 
showing  a  child  how  to  use  his  tools,  to  do  most 
of  the  work  on  the  small  farms.  The  teacher 
never,    after   the   first   lessons,    should    take    the 

266 


i 


SOME    LAST  THINGS 

child's  tools  into  her  hands  a  moment  longer  than 
is  required  to  show  the  correct  hold  and  sweep 
in  working.  That  many  are  heart  and  soul  in 
their  work  is  evident.  Two  boys  astonished 
parents  and  teachers  by  appearing  regularly 
at  the  garden,  a  mile  or  more  from  their  homes 
and  laboring  steadily  and  faithfully  over  their 
plots  when  they  had  never  before  been  known 
willingly  to  do  any  kind  of  work.  One  of  them 
persisted  in  spite  of  a  bad  attack  of  ivy  poison- 
ing. Two  small  colored  boys  appeared  in  the 
office  of  the  industrial  school  which  they  were 
attending  and  begged  to  be  promoted  from  their 
4x8  foot  plots  to  the  farm  squad.  They  had 
discovered  pleasure  where  manyfmd  only  drudgery. 
The  boy  who  for  four  years  got  up  often  with  the 
sun,  walked  three  miles  to  the  Hartford  School  of 
Horticulture,  did  his  own  work  and  hung  around 
all  day  begging  for  jobs,  was  at  seventeen  ready 
to  begin  the  slow  reconstruction  of  a  run-down 
farm  that  his  father  bought  for  him  near  the  city 
and  to  which  the  family  of  six  removed.  One 
small  girl  was  so  determined  to  have  a  garden 
that  she  utilized  old  cooking  utensils  as  hanging 
baskets  and  suspended  them  from  lines  which  she 
willingly  took  down  once  a  week  because  they  in- 
terfered with  her  mother's  washing  day.  There 
are  stories  innumerable — real  ones — often  mirth 
provoking,  often  pathetic,  often  full  of  courage 
and  conquering  persistence. 
Children  frequently  express  convictions  of  their 
267 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

own  about  school  gardens.*  A  little  Cleve- 
land girl  confided  to  her  teacher,  "I  did  not 
have  St.  Vitus  dance  this  summer,  nor  last, 
since    I    have    worked    in    the   school    garden." 


A  Member  of  the  "City  Beautiful  Club,"  Louisville 


A  helpless  cripple,  dragging  about  on  hands  and 
knees,  thought  he  had  found  heaven  when  he 
discovered    the    pleasure    there   was    in    growing 

♦Some  convincing    opinions  of   educators    may    be    found    in 
Appendix  B,  page  321. 

268 


SOME    LAST  THINGS 

flowers.  "Here  I  have  found  a  joy  in  life/'  he 
said.  Later,  as  his  infirmity  grew  upon  him,  he 
learned  to  note  the  habits  of  insects  and  then  to 
mount  them  so  well  that  he  became  self-support- 
ing by  the  work.  Children  who  start  home  gar- 
dens frequently  become  enthusiasts.  One  eleven- 
year-old  boy  would  allow  no  one  else  to  pick  a 
single  flower  in  his  garden,  but  he  daily  pro- 
vided each  member  of  his  family  with  one  of  his 
treasures.  When  two  boys  from  three  stocks  of 
rhubarb  got  enough  for  their  mother  to  make 
"many  pies  and  thirty-three  glasses  of  jelly  and 
five  quarts  of  rhubarb  preserves"  they  felt  satis- 
fied; they  were  proud  because  they  had  a  goodly 
yield  of  other  vegetables,  including  ten  bushels  of 
tomatoes  from  fifteen  vines  on  a  lo  x  12  foot  plot. 
When  a  certain  school  garden  had  to  be  closed, 
228  requests  came  asking  that  another  might 
be  opened.  Numbers  of  girls  and  boys,  through 
the  garden  have  found  the  work  they  want  to 
do  in  life  and  have  set  themselves  to  mastering 
its  details.  One  child  in  her  composition  is 
spokesman  for  many: 

Why  Do  1  Like  to  Work  in  the  School  Garden 
We   have  great   fun   at   the  school   garden   every 
morning  about  eight  o'clock. 

We  enjoy  the  sun-shine  and  we  don't  mind  if  it 
rains  because  it  makes  the  plants  grow. 

I   like  to  make  and  plant   the  beds  and  see  the 
things  come  up. 

269 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

I  like  the  sweet-peas  the  best  because  it  makes  a 
pretty  bouquet  and  is  so  fragrant. 

We  learned  they  belong  to  the  pulse  family,  a  very 
useful  family  to  us  and  the  soil.  We  have  learned 
that  peas  and  beans  contain  a  proteid  and  carbohy- 
drates for  our  food  and  that  they  make  nitrogen  for  the 
soil  to  make  it  rich  to  grow  wheat  and  apples. 

I  like  to  get  the  enemies  out  of  the  garden.     We 
have  pulled  thousands  of  weeds  from  the  [garden], 
Eva  Soderberg.       B6.  Agei2yr. 

The  children  of  the  very  poor  find  working  in  a 
garden  preferable  to  sorting  at  the  public  dump, 
hunting  greens  or  minding  babies  at  home. 
They  prefer  to  bring  the  little  ones  to  the  garden 
and  interest  them  in  big  brother's  crops  even 
to  the  point  where  little  brother  helps.  One  lad, 
not  to  be  outdone,  appeared  one  day  with  a  bor- 
rowed child,  saying  stoutly,  "every  other  fellow 
had  a  kid."  ^  The  girls  like  mothering  the  chil- 
dren where  there  are  bright  flowers  and  fresh 
air  and  a  shelter  from  the  summer  heat,  finding 
the  garden  a  great  improvement  over  the  close 
tenement  or  crowded  doorstep.;  The  gardeners 
also  like  the  commercial  side  of  their  work, 
whether  it  comprises  only  the  sale  of  1 5  quarts  of 
beans  to  an  Italian  eating  house  or  $25  worth  of 
produce,  such  as  the  10  x  90  foot  plots  sometimes 
yield.  They  like  the  money  for  necessities  or  for 
pleasures,  and  best  of  all,  for  that  most  excellent 
abiding  sense  of  power  and  self  support  that  it 
brings. 

270 


SOME    LAST  THINGS 

It  is  a  happy  time  for  the  little  farmers  when  the 
products  of  the  cherished  plot  weighed  or  meas- 
ured, the  results  entered  upon  the  day's  diary,  are 
finally  packed  in  basket,  cart,  or  bag,  and  taken 
home  to  be  carefully  cared  for  until  eaten.  All 
this  the  children  usually  enjoy.     Unless  there  is 


A  Welcome  Guest  at  Fairview 


space  to  encourage  games  and  play  in  the  garden, 
the  time  when  the  daily  harvest  is  cared  for 
becomes  its  social  hour.  Unconsciously,  it  is  the 
practice  period  in  training  the  judgment  to  an 
appreciation  of  standard  vegetables,  to  a  better 
understanding  in  the  future  of  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations laid  down  for  competitive  exhibits  and 

271 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

prize  collections.  An  occasional  word  from  the 
instructor  is  the  lead  which  will  be  followed  by 
children  as  they  compare  size,  color,  conformity 
to  standard  type,  appearance  of  vitality  and  the 
desirable  characteristics  to  be  promoted  by  care- 
ful selection  of  seed;  as  they  contrast  the  weight 
or  measure  of  their  respective  crops,  the  careful- 
ness   with    which    the    produce   is   cleansed    or 


Our  Pumpkins — Lakeview  School,  Pueblo,  Col. 

bunched,  and  its  attractiveness  when  ready  for 
home  or  market. 

If  bunched,  flowers  and  vegetables  should  be 
securely  tied,  but  so  loosely  as  not  to  look  choked. 
A  practical  object  lesson  in  the  aesthetic  value  of 
grouping  a  few  flowers,  or  in  the  beauty  of  a  single 
blossom,  together  with  some  suggestions  of  the 
relation  of  color  and  form,  or  hints  as  to  the  ap- 
propriateness of  the  receptacle  which  holds  them, 

272 


^         OP  THE     ^>' 

UNIVERSITY 

^  OF  ,. 


SOME    LAST   THINGS 

should  be  given  sometimes,  even  if  there  be  no 
insistence  upon  the  children's  following  the  sugges- 
tions. Whether  they  do,  or  not,  will  depend  in 
some  measure  upon  the  class  of  children  and  their 
homes.  A  single  flower  in  a  bottle  may  be  more 
beautiful  than  a  tight  bunch  in  a  vase.  Again, 
the  lesson  in  hygiene  may  be  taught,  not  from  the 
standpoint  of  how  cut  flowers  must  be  cared  for, 
to  prevent  the  slime  and  bad  smell  of  decaying  stem 
leafage,  but  from  the  desire  to  have  the  precious 
flowers  keep  fresh  as  long  as  possible,  and  the 
knowledge  that  clean-stripped  stems  will  help 
to  this  end. 

The  illustrations  opposite  pages  265,  187  and 
273  show  what  children  can  do  in  the  way  of 
harvesting  and  making  exhibits.  The  first 
gives  a  group  of  about  70  boys,  or  a  little 
less  than  a  fourth  of  the  lads  in  that  particular 
garden.  The  girls  are  not  included  because  the 
photograph  was  taken  before  1909,  at  which  time 
the  garden  was  doubled  in  size  and  the  same  num- 
ber of  girls  admitted.  The  second  illustration 
shows  flowers,  while  the  one  opposite  this  page 
shows  the  vegetables  raised  by  boys  and  girls  in 
a  number  of  school  yards,  small  vacant  lots  and 
home  grounds. 

The  exhibits  at  the  Annual  Exhibition  of  Chil- 
dren's Gardens  given  in  Boston  by  the  Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural  Society  prove  that  the  sum 
of$i  50  yearly  distributed  in  prizes  is  well  earned  by 
the  school  children  of  the  Bay  State.     The  western 

273 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

States  at  town,  county  and  state  fairs  call  upon 
their  children  to  make  these  occasions  successful 
affairs  and  are  loyally  answered.  In  the  Bowery 
district  of  New  York,  in  the  crowded  Bohemian 
quarter  of  a  western  city,  in  rural  schools,  and 
from  city  back  gardens,  children  respond  to  the 
call  for  a  flower  show  or  harvest  home.  One  school 
garden  in  the  foreign  section  of  a  large  city  has 
for  several  years  taken  first  prize  against  all 
competitors.  In  another  school  the  noise  of  the 
street  was  left  behind,  as  issuing  from  a  dark 
hall-way  the  visitor  sauntered  through  aisles  made 
by  green  branches  of  shrubs  and  trees  brought  from 
the  nature  tramps  near  Greater  New  York.  Here 
could  be  seen  creditable  flowers  and  vegetables 
raised  by  indefatigable  children  in  a  tiny  school 
garden  plot;  also  a  few  butterflies  and  their 
breeding  cages;  a  wasps'  nest  brought  from  the 
country;  a  bit  of  aquarian  and  swamp  life;  and 
a  collection  of  native  and  foreign  nuts.  These 
were  concisely,  often  drolly,  ticketed  by  the  chil- 
dren themselves  with  explanatory  label  or  para- 
graph. Much  of  this  work  belonged  in  the  nature 
study  course  of  the  school,  but  the  little  garden 
had  given  greater  zest  and  understanding  to  it. 
There  is  another  city  school  which  numbers  2400 
pupils,  almost  all  from  within  two  city  blocks,  and 
all  from  within  five,  where  careful  systematic 
questioning  brought  out  the  fact  that  only  a 
thousand  had  ever  seen  a  tree.  To  these  children, 
a  school  garden  was  given  for  the   two  seasons 

274 


SOME    LAST  THINGS 

between  the  tearing  down  of  an  old  building  and 
the  building  of  a  new.  The  garden  made  clear  to 
them  what  seeds  and  plants  really  do,  and,  one 
season,  a  hen  and  five  little  chicks  were  an 
added  source  of  wonder  and  delight. 

It  is  possible  to  overemphasize  the  requirement 
that  a  school  garden  should  show  excellent  results 
in  gardening.  But  the  truth  that  the  develop- 
ment of  the  child  is  more  important  than  the 
successful  cultivation  of  the  plants  is  one  that  may 
defeat  itself  in  large  measure  if  we  fail  to  remem- 
ber two  things;  one,  that  the  opportunity  to  have 
any  school  garden  at  all  another  year  may  depend 
upon  the  attitude  of  those  who  see  it  from  a  utili- 
tarian or  aesthetic  standpoint;  and  another,  that 
a  goodly  number  of  the  qualities  and  habits  which 
the  school  garden  is  to  cultivate  in  the  child  are  not 
taught  by  untidiness,  carelessness,  sickly-looking 
plants,  spindling  harvests  and  their  consequent 
discouraging  effect  upon  the  child.  Kept  within 
limitations  of  size  in  area,  of  suitability  in  plants 
and  of  the  right  amount  of  labor  among  children, 
any  garden  should  present  a  reasonable  appearance 
of  success  and  owes  it  to  the  neighborhood  and  to 
the  children  to  do  so.  An  intelligent  supervision 
that  will  compel  a  high  standard  of  excellence  is  of 
the  first  importance.  So  shall  new  school  garden 
ventures  be  encouraged,  difficult  ones  made  to  seem 
worth  while,  th^  beauty  of  well  ordered  life  and  the 
interrelation  of  its  laws  be  made  more  apparent  to 
the  minds  of  children  while  they  spend  fruitful 
hours  in  the  enjoyment  of  their  gardens. 
21  275 


APPENDICES 


APPENDIX  A 

NOTE  I.  PAGE  8 

There  had  been  gardens  as  schools  of  horticulture 
for  boys  of  noble  birth,  as  in  Persia,  in  ancient  times. 
But  during  the  Middle  Ages,  love  of  beauty  and 
curiosity  rather  than  a  love  for  accurate  knowledge, 
led  the  Italians  to  gather  into  gardens  the  new  and 
curious  plants  which  travelers,  at  the  time  of  the 
revival  of  learning,  began  to  bring  into  Italy  from  all 
parts  of  Europe  and  Asia  (later  from  America);  to 
plant  those  mediaeval  "observation  plots"  of  which 
today  the  Island  of  Isola  Bella  in  Lake  Maggiore  is  an 
excellent  example,  where  the  tall  cedars  of  Lebanon 
still  flourish  as  when  brought  from  their  native  Syria. 
The  thirst  for  knowledge  that  seized  up)on  Italy  in- 
creased the  number  of  horticulturists  and  embryo 
botanists.  In  1525,  a  wealthy  nobleman,  one  Caspar 
de  Gabriel,  laid  out  a  botanical  garden  on  a  large 
scale  in  Tuscany,  and,  within  a  comparatively  few 
decades,  all  the  leading  cities  of  Italy  and  also  many  of 
the  universities  of  France  and  Spain  followed  this 
example.  Among  the  scholars  visiting  the  univer- 
sities, there  were  a  few  who  had  a  definite  and  earnest 
purpose  in  the  use  of  the  gardens.  They  desired  a 
scientific  substructure  for  the  crude  and  chaotic  mass 
of  facts,  observations  and  records  then  called  botany. 
But  the  general  interest  in  the  mediaeval  "observation 

279 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

plots"  was  comparable  to  that  of  children's  delight 
over  some  odd  flower  or  leaf  and  their  satisfaction 
at  being  told  its  purpose  for  use  or  ornament.  It  is 
a  fact  that  the  celebrated  Jardin  des  Plantes,  founded 
in  Paris  in  1626,  was  established  for  no  better  purpose 
than  the  expressed  intention  of  furnishing  new  motifs, 
new  floral  designs  for  the  embroideries  upon  the  coats 
and  gowns  to  be  worn  at  the  sumptuous  court  of  the 
Medici.  For  this  purpose,  the  Jesuit  Fathers  in  far 
away  Canada  and  the  Mississippi  valley,  were  bidden 
to  make  a  careful  report  of  the  flowers  they  met,  and, 
when  possible,  to  send  specimens  to  France. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
the  German  universities  started  their  botanical  gar- 
dens and  began  the  earnest  search  for  a  few  under- 
lying principles  that  should  bind  together  all  the 
seemingly  unrelated  forms  in  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
In  1735  Linnaeus,  the  father  of  modern  botany  and 
of  the  Linnean  "artificial  system"  of  classifying  plants, 
a  system  in  use  for  many  years,*  in  his  "Systema 
Naturae"  framed  the  first  rough  chart  and  forged  the 
key  to  the  mysteries  of  flower  and  fruit  and  growing 
things.  A  little  later,  in  1789,  De  Jussien  in  his 
"Genera  of  Plants  According  to  Natural  Orders" 
founded  the  botanical  system  in  use  today. 

Broadly  speaking,  agricultural  knowledge  was  differ- 
entiated by  the  university  into  botany  or  medicine, 
both  of  which  were  taught  within  its  walls,  and  into 
practical  farming,  carried  on  by  the  monks  and  peasants. 

*  Loudon's  Encyclopedia  of  Plants,  published  by  Longmans, 
Green  &  Co.,  London,  1880,  a  volume  of  over  a  thousand  pages  and 
several  thousand  cuts,  has  its  first  section  arranged  after  the  Linnean 
system. 

280 


APPENDICES 

To  the  learned,  botany  was  a  studious  pleasure;  to 
the  monk,  the  tilling  of  the  ground  was  a  worthy 
humiliation.  Thus,  to  the  average  mind,  agriculture 
was  a  necessary  labor  but  fitted  only  for  monks,  slaves 
and  peasants.  Yet,  as  early  as  1695,  August  Francke  y 
of  Halle,  Germany,  discerned  the  educational  value 
of  a  garden  in  connection  with  his  orphanage.  He 
was  far  ahead  of  his  time.  For  many  generations  the 
educative  value  of  garden  work  for  children  was  re- 
garded as  the  idle  prating  of  philanthropists  and  edu- 
cators like  Salzman  and  Comenius,  like  Rousseau  and 
Pestalozzi.  The  last  named  gave  a  concrete  example 
of  its  worth  by  insisting  upon  field  and  garden  practice 
as  a  part  of  his  boys'  and  girls'  daily  tasks.  Froebel 
founding  his  kindergarten  in  1840,  advised  gardens  "as 
a  true  school  of  happy  occupations." 

NOTE  2,  PAGE  18 

Any  Rural  School  Board  or  any  School  Board  in  a 
village  that  shall  (i)  provide  a  school  garden  of  at 
least  one-quarter  of  an  acre  in  addition  to  the  regular 
school  ground  area,  adjacent  to  or  convenient  to  the 
school;  that  shall  (2)  provide  the  necessary  tools,  im- 
plements and  other  requisites,  and  shelter  for  them;  and 
also  (3)  one  legally  qualified  teacher,  shall  be  entitled 
to  an  initial  grant  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars, 
and  a  subsequent  grant  of  twenty  dollars  out  of  any 
grant  made  for  Elementary  Agriculture  and  Horticulture 
by  the  Legislature,  to  be  "expended  in  caring  for  such 
School  Gardens,  and  for  keeping  the  school  grounds  in 
proper  condition."  "Should  the  sum  voted  by  the 
Legislature  not  be  sufficient  to  pay  in  full  the  grants 
on  the  foregoing  basis,  the  Educational   Department 

281 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

will  make  a  pro  rata  distribution  on  the  sum  voted." 
If  the  instruction  given  be  approved  by  the  Inspector, 
said  instructor  shall  be  entitled  in  addition  to  the 
regular  salary  to  a  grant  of  $30  per  year.  (Circular  No. 
13,  July,  1909,  issued  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of 
Ontario,  p.  5.) 

NOTE  3,  PAGE  s8 

BOTANICAL  GARDEN* 

ROSEDALE  SCHOOL  GARDEN,  CLEVELAND.  OHIO.   1907 

Spermatophytes 


Angle 

>sperms 

Monocotyledons 

Order 

Family 

Order 

Family 

Gramineae 

.  .  Grass 

Smilaceae 

.  .Smilax 

Cyperaceae 

. Sedge 

Amarillidaceae  . . 

.  .  Amarillis 

Araceae 

.  .Arum 

Iridaceae 

..Iris 

Liliaceae 

.  .  Lily 

Orchidacea? 

..Orchid 

Convallariaceae  . 

. .  Lily  of  the 
Valley 

Dicotyledons 

Order 

Family 

Order 

Family 

Urticaceae 

..Nettle 

Papaveraceae  . . . 

■ ■ Poppy 

Aristolochiaceae 

.  .  Birthwort 

Cruciferae 

.  .  Mustard 

Polygonacea  . .  . 

.  .  Buckwheat 

Resedaceae 

.  .  Mignonette 

Chenopodiaceae  . 

.  .Goosefoot 

Sarraceniaceae  . . 

.  .  Pitcher  Plant 

Amarantaceas  .  . 

.  .Amaranth 

Droseraceae  

.  . Sundew 

Phytoiaccaceae  . 

.  .  Pokeweed 

Crassulaceae 

.  .  .Orpine 

Nyctaginaceae  .  . 

.  .  Four-o'clock 

Saxifragaces  . . . 

.  .  Saxifrage 

Portuiacaceje  .  . 

. .  Purslane 

Rosaceae 

.  .  Rose 

Caryophyilacea 

.  .  Pink 

1  Mimosa 

Ranunculaceae   . 

.  .  Crowfoot 

Leguminosae  .  .  . 

\  Senna 

Berberidaceas   . . 

.  .  Barberry 

I  Pea 

*  Notice  how  all  these  families  can  be  shown  by  typical  plants  that 
are  common  enough  to  be  within  easy  reach. 

Vegetable  garden  at  Rosedale  teaches  succession  of  crops;  flower 
garden  orderly  arrangement,  harmonious  color  effects  and  succession 
of  bloom;    botanical,  plant  families  and  economic  significance. 

List  by  courtesy  of  Miss  Louise  Klein  Miller. 

282 


APPENDICES 


Order 
Geraniaceje  . 

Linace* 

Polygalaceje  . 
Euphorbiace;s 
Malvaceae  ... 
Hypericace*  . 


VioIace»  . . 
Cactacese  . 
Lythrace* 
Onagrace^-e 


Araliaceae 

Umbelliferaj  .  . 
Primulaceae  .  .  . 
Gentianaceae  . . 
Apocynace*  . 
Asclepiadacea? 


Family  Order  Family 

Geranium  G)nvolvuIaceae  . . .  Morning 
Wood-sorrel  Glory 

|ewel-weed  Polemoniacea?  ....  Phlox 

Flax  Boraginaceae Borage 

.  Milkwort  Verbenaces Verbena 

Spurge  Labiatae Mint 

,  Mallow  Solanacea? Nightshade 

St.  John's  Scrophulariaces  . .  Figwort 

Wort  Bignoniaceae Trumpet 

Violet  Creeper 

Cactus  Plantaginaceae.  . . .  Plantain 

Loosestrife  Rubiaceae Madder 

Evening  Valerianacea? Valerian 

Primrose  Dipsaceae Teasel 

Ginseng  Cucurbitaces Gourd 

Carrot  Campanulaceae Bellflower 

Primrose  ( Chicory 

Gentian  Compositae   . . . .  <  Ragweed 
,  Dogbane  ( Thistle 

Milkweed 


NOTE  4.  PAGE  71 

A  seed  grain  competition  was  carried  on  by  boys  on 
farms  all  over  Canada  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 
The  main  purpose  was  to  improve  crops  by  the  use  of 
seed  improved  by  selection.  Dr.  Robertson  will  best 
tell  the  story: 

"In  the  summer  of  1899  I  put  aside  f  100— my 
own  money,  not  public  funds — to  offer  in  prizes  to 
Canadian  boys  and  girls  who  would  send  me  the 
largest  heads  from  the  most  vigorous  plants  of  wheat 
and  oats  on  their  fathers'  farms.  1  had  a  wonderful 
response,  and  I  paid  that  money  in  prizes  with  as 
much  enjoyment  as  any  money  I  ever  spent.  The 
letters  1  got  from  farmers,  and  from  their  boys  and 
girls,  were  so  encouraging  that  in  the  following  winter 
1  went  to  Sir  William  C.  Macdonald  and  said:  *  Here  is 
a  great  chance  to  do  some  educational  work  in  progres- 


283 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

sive  agriculture.'  ...  I  told  him  I  would  like  to 
have  him  give  me  1 10,000  for  prizes  to  set  this  thing 
going  and  to  keep  it  up  for  three  years.  He  pro- 
vided the  money  with  all  good  will,  and  my  little  |ioo 
came  back  a  hundred  fold.  The  prizes  were  offered 
to  boys  and  girls  to  encourage  selecting  the  largest 
heads  of  the  most  vigorous  plants  and  growing  seed 
from  those  heads  on  a  plot  by  itself.  There  was  a 
yearly  competition  for  every  province;  and  a  main 
competition  extending  over  three  years.  Any  boy 
or  girl  living  on  a  Canadian  farm,  who  was  under 
eighteen  years  of  age,  could  enter  as  a  competitor. 
In  each  province  ten  prizes  were  offered  for  oats  and 
ten  for  wheat,  the  prizes  in  the  yearly  competition 
ranging  from  $25  for  the  first  down  to  $5  for  the 
tenth.  Over  fifteen  hundred  entries  were  received, 
of  whom  eight  hundred  satisfactorily  completed  their 
first  year's  work,  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  com- 
pleted the  three  years'  course. 

"The  competitor  was  required  to  pick  by  hand  the 
largest  heads  from  the  most  vigorous  and  productive 
plants  in  sufficient  quantity  to  obtain  seed  with 
which  to  sow  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  ground,  which 
became  the  stock  seed  grain  plot,  now  called  the 
hand-selected  seed  plot.  Before  the  crop  of  this 
quarter  of  an  acre  was  harvested,  the  competitor 
again  selected  the  largest  heads  from  the  most  vigorous 
plants  in  sufficient  quantity  to  sow  the  quarter  of  an 
acre,  which  became  the  hand-selected  seed  plot  for 
the  following  year.  Out  of  the  heads  selected  each 
year  the  competitor  sent  to  me  at  Ottawa  one  hun- 
dred of  the  largest.  A  careful  record  was  kept  of 
the  number  of  grains  per  hundred  heads,  and  also  of 

284 


APPENDICES 

the  weight  per  hundred.  From  1900  to  1903,  the 
average  increase  in  all  Canada  for  spring  wheat  was  18 
per  cent  in  the  number  of  grains  per  hundred  heads, 
and  28  per  cent  in  the  weight.  For  oats  the  in- 
crease was  19  per  cent  in  the  number  of  grains,  and 
28  per  cent  in  their  weight.     .     .     . 

"The  main  competition  was  based  on  the  yields 
from  those  hand-selected  seed  plots.  The  competi- 
tors had  to  select  annually  out  of  these,  from  the  most 
vigorous  plants  bearing  the  largest  heads,  35  pounds 
of  oat  heads  or  50  pounds  of  wheat  heads.  In  this 
competition  we  paid  174  prizes,  amounting  to  $5,425; 
so  that  altogether  we  paid  $10,842  in  prizes.  The 
sum  which  Sir  William  C.  Macdonald  put  into  the 
bank,  with  the  interest,  brought  me  out  square,  plus 
a  great  deal  of  valuable  information,  plus  much 
happiness  in  administering  the  work." — Robertson,  J. 
W. :   Education  for  Rural  Life  in  Canada. 

NOTE  5,  PAGE  71 

In  1908  The  Ontario  Agricultural  and  Experi- 
mental Union  instituted  a  Schools'  Division  with  the 
general  aim  of  adapting  the  work  of  the  Union  "to 
suit  the  capacities  of  school  children  and  to  organize 
it  in  such  a  way  that  teachers  would  be  encouraged  to 
direct  the  children  in  it  and  to  use  the  many  experi- 
ences arising  in  the  practical  work  as  a  means  of 
education  in  the  school."  This  new  plan  aimed  to 
bring  the  work  directly  to  the  schools  and  make  it  dis- 
tinctly for  the  schools. 

The  work  was  divided  into  The  Children's  Garden- 
ing Section  and  The  Schools'  Experiment  Section. 
One  sent   packets  of  seed   to  the  children   for  their 

285 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

school  or  home  gardens;  the  other  offered  seeds  free 
for  four  observation  plots  in  the  school  garden  or  in 
adjoining  fields.  There  was  to  be  a  plot  showing 
seven  different  species  of  wheat  (agriculture);  one 
growing  different  maples  (forestry) ;  one  with  different 
kinds  of  onions  (horticulture);  and  a  plot  to  show 
different  kinds  of  nasturtiums  (floriculture).  One  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  schools,  150  teachers  entered  on  the 
work  and  returns  were  made  by  48  per  cent  of  them. 
The  work  has  thoroughly  recommended  itself  by 
its  good  effect  on  the  school  discipline,  and  in  bring- 
ing home  and  school  together.  Another  year  seeds 
will  be  sold  to  the  children.  Tree  seeds  and  a  special 
collection  of  vines  will  also  be  offered,  and  printed 
instructions  will  be  given  them  as  well  as  the  teachers. 
— From  advance  sheets  of  Report  of  Schools'  Division 
of  Agricultural  and  Experimental  Union.  By  courtesy 
of. Prof.  S.  B.  McCready. 

NOTE  6.  PAGE  73 
"At  the  Macdonald  school  gardens  children  are  to 
be  taught  three  important  matters  in  connection  with 
agriculture;  namely,  the  selection  of  seed,  the  rotation 
of  crops,  and  their  protection  against  blight  and  dis- 
ease. In  six  of  the  gardens  the  experiment  of  grow- 
ing two  plots  of  potatoes  side  by  side,  spraying  one 
not  at  all  and  the  other  three  to  five  times  in  the  course 
of  the  season,  gave  in  the  treated  plots  a  gain  in  har- 
vest as  follows:  Knowlton,  Que.,  11 1  per  cent;  Rich- 
mond, Ont.,  100  per  cent;  Carp,  Ont.,  85  per  cent; 
March,  Ont.,  81  per  cent;  Guelph,  Ont.,  43  per  cent; 
Brome,  Que.,  41  per  cent." — Robertson,  J.  W. :  Educa- 
tion for  Agriculture,  page  5. 

286 


APPENDICES 

NOTE  7,  PAGE  107 

PLANTS  FOR  ALL  SORTS  OF  SOIL  AND  ALL   KINDS  OF 
GARDENS 

The  letters  in  parenthesis  give  hints  as  to  duration  of  each  plant 
as  follows:  (A)  annual  herb;  (P)  perennial  herb;  (S)  shrub;  (T) 
tree;   (B)  bulb;   (V)  vine. 

Flowers  for  Drifting  Sands 

Rose  moss  ....  Portulaca  grandi-      Spurrey Spergula  arvensis 

flora  (A)  (A) 

Sacaline Polygonum      Sa-  St.  John's-wort  Hypericum    pro- 

cfialinense  (P)  lificum  (S) 

Sunflower Helianthus    spp.  Swallow  thorn .  Hippophae  rham- 

(A  and  P)  noides  (S) 
Sand  Cherry. . .  Prunuspumila(S) 

Flowers  for  Heavy  Clay 
Forget-me-not .  Myosotis  palus-         Zinnia Zinnia    elegans 

tris  (P)  (A) 

Columbine  ....  Aquilegia  spp.  Lilac Syringa    vulgaris 

(P)  (S) 

Gas  plant Dictamnus  albus        Rose  of  Sharon  Hibiscus  Syriacus 

(P)  (S) 

Sweet  pea Lathyrus   odora-      Shrubby    cin- 

tus  (A)  qutfoil Potentilla    fruti- 

cosa  (S) 

Flowers  for  the  Seashore 

Coboea  scandens  (.\)  Swallow  thorn  Hippophae    rham- 

Nasturtium..  .Tropjeolum  spp.  noides  (S) 

(A)  1  amarisk TamarixChinensis 

Portulaca  ....  Portulaca  grandi-  Poppy-mallow  Callirhoe    involu- 

flora  (A)  crata,    var.    li- 

Zinnia Zinnia  elegans  (A)  neariloba 

Red  bearberryArctostaphylos  Sacaline Polygonum    Sach- 

uva  ursi  (S)  alinense  (P) 

Sand  Cherrv.  .  Prunus  puniila  Sunflower  .  .  .  Helianthus      spp. 

(S)  (P) 

Flowers  for  the  Rock  Garden 

Baby's  breath.  Gypsophila    spp.       Rock-cress Aubrietia  del- 

(A  and  P)  toidea  (P) 

Blue  bells Campanula    ro-      Moss  pink Phlox     subulata 

tundifolia(P)  (P) 

Carpathian  Daphne Daphne  Cneorum 

harebell Campanula   Car-  (S) 

patica  (P) 

187 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Flowers  for  the  Rock  Garden  (Continued) 

Saxifrage Saxifraga  spp.  (A  Crowberry  ....  Empetrum    ni- 

and  P)  grum  (S) 

Creeping     bar-  Mountain     lau- 

berry Berberis     repens  rel Kalmia    latifolia 

(S)  (S) 

Flowers  for  Ponds  and  Water  Gardens 

Arrowhead. ..  .Sagittaria    spp.  Cape         pond- 

(P)  weed Aponogeton    dis- 

Floating  heart.  Limnanthemum  tachyum  (P) 

lacunosum  (P)       Water-Hly Nymphaea  spp. 

American  lotus  Nelumbo      lutea  (P) 

(P)  Pici<erel-weed  .  Pontederia     spp. 

(P) 

Flowers  for  the   Bog  Garden 

Cardinal  flower  Lobeha        cardi-  Joe-Pye-weed  .  Eupatorium  pur- 

nalis  (P)  pureum  (P) 

Sundew Drosera  filiformis  Pitcher  plant .  .  Sarracenia     pur- 

(P)  purea  (P) 

Spice  bush  ....  Benzoin  odorifer-  California     pit- 

um  (S)  cher  plant. . .  DarlingtoniaCali- 

Virginian     wil-  fornica  (P) 

low Itea  Virginica  (S)  White  alder  . .  .Clethra  alnifolia 

Iris Iris  laevigata  (P)  (S) 

Crowfoot Ranunculus  spp. 

(P) 

Flowers  for  Cold  Climates 
(The  perennials  are  hardy  at  Ottawa) 

Golden  tuft  . .  .Alyssum  saxatile  Sheepberry. .  .  .Viburnum     Len- 
(P)  tago  (S) 

Iceland  poppv.Papaver       nudi-  Saxifrage Saxifraga       spp. 

caule  (P)  (P) 

Marigold Tagetes  spp.  (A)  Buttonbush  . .  .Cephalanthus  oc- 

Pansy Viola  tricolor  (A)  cidentalis  (S) 

Sweet  pea Lathyrus    odora-  Daphne Mezereum  (S) 

tus  (A)  St.  John's-wort  Hypericum    Kal- 
English  daisy. .  Bellisperennis(P)  mianum  (S) 

Flowers  for  Hot  Climates 
(e.  g.,  Tampa,  Florida) 

Coneflower Rudbeckia    hirta       Funkia  spp.  (P) 

(P)                           Iris  Japonica  (P) 
Gunnera  manicata  (P)  Weigelia Diervilla  spp.  (S) 

288 


APPENDICES 


Flowers  for  Hot  Climates  (Continued) 

Carolina       all-  American      ca- 

spice Calycanthus  mellia Stuartia     pen- 

floridus  (S)  tagyna  (A) 

Rose  moss Portulacagrandi-      Amaranth Amarantus    spp. 

flora  (A)  (A) 

Morning-glory   Ipomoea         pur-  Nasturtium  ..  .Tropaeolum    spp. 

purea  (A)  (A) 

Flowers  that  Blossom  before  Trees  are  Leafy 

Bluebells Mertensia       pul- 


Daphne Mezereum 

Golden  bell. . . .  Forsythia       sus- 

pensa  (S) 
Shadbush Amelanchier 

Canadensis  (T) 
Glory-of-t  he- 
snow Chionodoxa    Lu- 

ciliae  (B) 
Japanese 

quince Cydonia    Japon- 

ica  (S) 
Judas  tree Cercis Canadensis 

(T) 
Snowdrop Galanthus  nivalis 

(B) 


monarioides 

(P) 
Hyacinth Hyacinthus    ori- 

entalis  (B) 

Crocus Crocus  spp.  (B) 

Anemone  blanda  (P) 
Magnolia  Yulan  (T) 

Red  Maple Acer  rubrum  (T) 

Candytuft Iberis  sempervi- 

rens  (P) 
English  daisy. .  Bellis  j)erennis 

(P) 


Flowers  that  will  Blossom 

Gaillardia  aristata  (P) 

Goldenrod Solidago  spp.  (P) 

Iceland  poppy .  Papaver    nudi- 

caule  (P) 
Goldentuft Alyssum  saxatile 

I  en-weeks 

stocks Matthiola  incana, 

var.  annua  (A) 

Plants  for  Winik)w-Boxes, 

Artillery  plant.  Pilea  serpyllifolia 

Alyssum spp.  (A) 

Little  pickles.  .Othonna   Capen- 

sis  (P) 
Dwarf    nastur- 
tium  Tropaeolum    spp. 

(A) 
Periwinkle. . . .  Vinca  major  (P) 
German  ivy  ..  .Senecio    mikani- 

oides 


after  Frost  in  the  Autumn 

Sweet  alyssum.  Alyssum      mari- 
timum  (A) 

Candytuft Iberis  spp.  (A) 

Phlox  Drummondii  (A) 
Clarkia  elegans  (A) 
Chrysanthe- 
mum  spp.  (P) 


Vases,  Hanging-Baskets,  etc. 
Wandering 
jew Zebrina    pendula 

(P) 
Lobelia  Erinus  (A) 
Centaurea  cineraria  (A) 

C^leus spp.  (A) 

Geranium Pelargonium  spp. 

(A) 
Helichrysum  petiolatum  (P) 


289 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Flowers  for  the  Wild  Garden 

(A)  Choice  wild  flowers  which  should  not  be  taken  from  the  woods 
even  for  garden  purposes  and  which,  if  ordered  from  dealers,  should 
be  nursery-grown,  not  collected: 

Native  orchids,  especially  lady's  Fringed       gen- 
slippers                      tian Gentiana   crinita 

Mountain     lau-  (P) 

rel Kalmia  latifolia  Giant  laurel   . .  Rhododendron 

Trailing     arbu-  maximum  (S) 

tus EpigaBarepens(P) 

(B)  Common  wild  flowers  that  improve  greatly  in  cultivation  and 
are  easy  to  grow.     These  are  in  no  danger  of  extermination: 

Yarrow Achillea    Millefo-  Oswego  tea. . .  .Monarda  didvma 

Hum  (P) 

joe-Pye-weed  .Eupatorium  pur-  Asters  and  gold- 

pureum  (P)  en  rods 

Bugbane Cimicifuga    race-  Button    snake- 

mosa  (P)  root Eupatorium    ag- 

eratoides  (P) 

Flowers  for  the  Desert  Garden 

The  following  have  withstood  twenty  degrees  below  zero,  F. 
Good  drainage  in  winter  is  essential. 

Yucca  filamentosa  Opuntia  Camanchica 

Yucca  glauca  (angustifolia)  Opuntia    Camanchica,    var.    gi- 

Mammillaria  Missouriensis  gantea 

Mammillaria  vivipara  Opuntia  fragilis 

Echinocereus  viridiflorus  Opuntia       mesacantha,       vars. 

Pxhinocactus  Simpsoni  Greenii  cymochila,  macrorhi/a 
Echinocactus      Simpsoni,      var.      Opuntia  pha?acantha,  var.  major 

minor  Opuntia  polyantha,  vars.  albis- 

Opuntia  arenaria  pina  and  Watsoni 
Opuntia  arborescens 


Vines  for  City  Walls  and  Porches 


Boston  ivy.  . .  .  Ampelopsis      tri- 
cuspidata 

English  ivy Hedera  Helix 

Virginia  creep- 
er  Ampelopsis  quin- 

quefolia 
Dutchman's 

pipe Aristolochia  mac- 

rophylla 


Ampelopsis  Veitchii 

Trumpet  creep- 
er  Tecoma  radicans 

Clematis  spp. 

Actinidiaarguta 

Akebia  quinata 

Wistaria  Chin- 
ensis 

Lonicera  Japon- 
ica 


290 


APPENDICES 

Flowering  Shrubs  for  Hedges 

Tartarian    hon-  ♦California  Priv- 

eysuckle Lonicera   Tartar-  ct Ligustrum  ovali- 

ica  folium 

♦Japanese  Deut/ia  gracilis 

quince Cvdonia    Japon-  ♦Common   bar- 

ica  berry.  ....  Berberis  vulgaris 

Cockspur  (Purple- leaved 

thorn Crataegus    Crus-  barberry) 

galli  ♦Rose  of  Sharon 
Thunberg's  or  Altha;a  . . .  Hibiscus    Syria- 
barberry. ...  Berberis     Thun-  cus. 
bergii  Viburnum  spp. 
Spiraea      pruni-  Japan         ever- 
folia  green  honey- 
suckle  Lonicera    Japon- 

ica 


Trailers  and  Ground  Covers 


Creeping  Char- 
lie  Lysimachia  num- 

mularia 
Japanese     hon- 
eysuckle ....  Lonicera   Japon- 
ica 

Knglish  ivy Hedera  Helix 

Bitter-sweet. .  .Celastrus  scan- 
dens 


Perennial  pea  .Lathyrus    latifo- 

lius 
Virgin's  bower.  Clematis  Virgini- 

ana 
Rosa  rugosa 

Periwinkle  .  .  .  .  Vinca  minor 
Mitchella 
repens 


Vines  Requiring  Support 


Wistaria    Chin- 

ensis 
Dutchman's 

pipe Aristolochia  mac- 

rophylla 
Morning-glory   Ipomoea         pur- 
purea 
Scarlet     runner 

bean Phaseolus  multi- 

florus 
Japanese  hop.  .  Humulus  Japoni- 
cus,  var.  varie- 
gatus 
Clematis  spp. 


Ampelopsis 

Veitchii 
Balloon  vine 


Boston  ivy. . 

English  ivy. . 
Trumpet 

creeper. . . . 
Bitter-sweet. 


Honeysuckles 
(climbing 
species).  .  .  . 


Cardiospermum 
Halimac-caca- 
bum 

Ampelopsis     tri- 

cuspidata 
.  Hedera  Helix 

Tecoma  radicans 
Celastrus      scan- 
dens 


Akebia  quinata 


291 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Flowers  for  "Garden  Effects" 

Fox-glove Digitalis         pur-  Gladiolus Gladiolus  spp. 

purea  (?)  (B) 

Sweet-william  .  Dianthus        bar-  Spiraea spring-blooming 

batus  (P)  species  (S) 

Goldenrod Solidago  spp.  (P)  Geranium Pelargonium  spp. 

China  aster. ..  .Callistephus  hor-  (A) 

tensis  (A)  Alyssum      spp. 
Japanese  (A)  (P) 

quince Cydonia     Japon-  Deutzia      spp. 

ica  (S)  (S) 

Japanese  Iris  .  .Iris  laevigata  (P)  Dutch    hya- 

Tulip Tulipa  spp.  (B)  cinth Hyacinthus    ori- 

entalis  (B) 

The  above  list,  except  for  three  additions,  is  as  it  appeared  in 
"Country  Life,"  March,  1904,  and  is  repeated  here  by  express  permis- 
sion of  Doubleday,  Page  and  Company,  New  York. 


NOTE  8,  PAGE   134 
Vegetable  Seeds 

I   peck  improved  variety  of  potatoes;    i   lb.  beans,  2  varieties; 

1  lb.  sugar  corn,  2  varieties;    I  lb.  beets,  2  varieties;    i  oz.  carrots, 

2  varieties;  ^  oz.  seed  onion,  2  varieties;  2  oz.  radish,  2  varieties; 
I  oz.  lettuce,  2  varieties;  i  oz.  parsnip;  i  oz.  turnip;  i  pkt.  cucum- 
ber; I  pkt.  cress;  i  pkt.  kale;  i  pkt.  kohl  rabi;  i  pkt.  summer 
savory;    i  pkt.  sage. 

The  following  to  be  started  in  a  hot  bed  or  window  box;  i  pkt. 
cauliflower;    i  pkt.  Brussels  sprouts;    i  pkt.  celery;   3  pkts.  cabbage, 

3  varieties;   3  pkts.  tomato,  3  varieties.     Estimated  cost,  |2. 

Flowering  Annuals 

To  be  started  indoors  or  in  hot  bed:  3  pkts.  aster,  mixed  or  3 
named  varieties;  2  pkts.  balsams,  mixed;  2  pkts.  dianthus  (pinks); 
I  pkt.  pansy;  i  pkt.  petunia;  i  pkt.  portulaca;  2  pkts,  phlox 
Drummondi  grandiflora;  i  pkt.  Ricinus  (Castor  bean);  i  pkt. 
scarlet  sage;  i  pkt.  salpiglossis;  i  pkt.  sweet  scabious;  i  pkt. 
ten-weeks  stocks;    i  pkt.  verbena. 

For  open  planting:  ^  oz.  sweet  alyssum:  |  oz.  candytuft;  ^  oz. 
mignonette;  2  pkts.  dwarf  nasturtium;  2  pkts.  Eschscholtzia 
(California  poppy);  2  pkts.  Shirley  poppy;  i  pkt.  double  mixed 
poppy;  I  pkt.  tall  nasturtium;  i  pkt.  mixed  sweet  peas;  i  pkt. 
double  hollyhock  (biennial);  i  pkt.  Russian  sunflower.  Estimated 
cost  |2.        .       . 

From  Circular  No.  13,  July,  iqoq,  Elementary  Agriculture  and  Hor- 
ticulture and  School  Gardens.     Toronto,  1909. 

292 


APPENDICES 

NOTE  Q.  PAGE  152 

EXPERIMENTAL  PLOTS  IN  PHILADELPHIA  GARDENS 

Crops  Grown  for  Subterranean  Parts 


Root  Crop 

Tuber  Crop 

Bulb  Crop 

Beet                          Radish 

Potato 

Onion 

Carrot                       Salsify 

Sweet  potato 

Parsnip                     Turnip 

Kale 
Cabbage 


Crops  Grown  for  Foliage  Parts 
Cole  Crops  Salad  Crops 


Brussel  Sprouts 
Kohl  Rabi 


Lettuce 
Endive 


Crops  Grown  for  Fruit  or  Seed  Parts 
I'lilse  Crop      Solanaceous  Crop  Cucurbitaceous  or  yine  Crop 

Bean  Tomato  Cucumber  Pumpkin 

Pea  Egg  plant  Melon  Squash 

Pepper 


293 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


NOTE  lo,  PAGE   162* 
PLANTING  SCHEME  FOR  SCHOOL  GARDEN 
CouRThSY  OF  E.  K.  Thomas.  Provihence,  R.  L 


Ft. 

Crop 

Depth  to 
Plant 

Average  time  of 
Growth 

Distance  Apart 
in  row 

- 

Corn,     Squan- 
tum  li  ft. 

2"  to  2Y 

13  weeks 

Plant  4"    apart, 
thin  to  8" 

Lettuce 
lift. 

¥ 

6-8  weeks 

Hills  6^^  apart 

^ 

Corn,   Early 
Cory  li  ft. 

2"  to  iV 

1 1  weeks 

Same  as  above 

VJ1 

Lettuce 
lift. 

¥ 

6-8  weeks 

Same  as  above 

ON 

Tomatoes 

,if.. 

Plants 

16  weeks 

Plants  18"  apart 

VJ 

Turnip,  Early 
lift. 

ftoi" 

9  weeks 

In  drills 

00 

Tomatoes 
lift. 

Plants 

16  weeks 

0 

Peas 
lift. 

,. 

2"  to  3"  apart 

0 

Cabbage 
lift. 

Plants 

18  weeks 

Plants  2  ft.  apart 

~ 

Peas 
lift. 

2" 

9  weeks 

VJJ 

Potatoes 
1  ft. 

Radish 
I  ft. 

3" 

2"  to  2\" 

15  weeks 

Sets  6" 

^ji 

Beans 
lift. 

9  weeks 

6"  to  8"  apart 

G\ 

Beans 
•  ift. 

6"  to  8"  apart 

00 

Carrots 
|ft. 

Radish 

I  ft. 

¥  to  1" 

16-20  weeks 

In  drills 

= 

Beets 

I  in. 

9  weeks 

In  drills 

*See  also  Note  17a  and  17b 


294 


ml 

>xcc 


ITS  i'Tzi:'^ 


|l| 
•pi 

SHE 


•^1  I 


-2 sa  X 

ml 

oaQH  H 


Z   r-35 


2      ^ 


if 


295 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

NOTE  13,  PAGE   192 

PLANTING,  PRICKING  OUT,  TRANSPLANTING  AND 
POTTING 

Planting  Seeds  in  Flats. — At  the  florists,  earthen 
seed-pans  can  be  bought  or  wooden  boxes  called  flats. 
The  first  are  expensive;  the  second  can  be  easily 
made  by  teacher,  by  pupils  in  manual  training  class 
or  by  almost  any  child,  from  the  pine  boxes  so  largely 
used  for  packing  canned  goods,  soaps,  etc.  These 
can  be  bought  for  five  or  ten  cents  apiece,  and  are 
sometimes  given  away.  These  boxes  are  usually  9  or 
10  inches  deep  and  can  be  cut  in  3  inch  sections  with  a 
rip  saw.  The  top  and  bottom  make  two  flats.  The 
middle  sections  of  two  or  three  boxes  put  together 
will  make  another  flat.  Bore  a  number  of  i  inch 
auger  holes  in  the  bottom  of  each  flat  for  drainage. 

Soil:  The  flat  may  be  filled  with  earth  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  children  so  that  they  may  see  how  thor- 
oughly the  soil  should  be  prepared.  From  two  boxes 
or  piles,  one  of  rich  soil,  the  other  of  sand,  take  three 
parts  sand  and  one  part  soil,  and  with  the  hands  or  a 
scoop  (better  hands)  thoroughly  mix  them.  Then, 
using  an  ordinary  flour  sieve,  sift  the  mixture  through 
it.  First  put  into  the  flat  a  layer  of  broken  flower 
pots,  cinders  or  small  stones,  explaining  that  this  is 
done  so  as  to  give  good  drainage  and  to  prevent 
the  water  from  settling  into  little  pools  and  causing 
the  seeds  to  rot  or  the  soil  to  mould  or  become  sour. 
Over  the  layer  of  broken  stuff,  spread  the  coarse 
screenings  from  the  earth  just  mixed  until  the  flat 
is  about  half  full.  Then  add  the  finely  sifted  soil. 
See  to  it  that  the  soil  is  pushed  well  into  the  corners 

296 


APPENDICES 

and  up  to  the  edges  so  as  to  avoid  the  danger  of  the 
washing  out  of  seeds.  This  may  be  done  with  a  flat 
piece  of  w(X)d  or  brick  or  "float."  The  florist's  float, 
with  which  he  compacts  the  soil  in  his  hot  bed,  green- 
house or  cold  frame,  is  a  piece  of  board  6  inches  wide 
by  9  or  lo  long  with  a  handle  attached.  Another 
reason  for  compacting  the  soil  about  seeds  or  roots 
is  to  bring  close  to  them  the  fine  particles  of  food 
in  the  soil  and  the  invisible  little  films  of  moisture 
that  must  cover  the  food  grains  and  dissolve  them 
before  the  plant  can  feed  upon  them.  Consequently, 
while  the  soil  in  the  box  must  be  fine  and  soft  for  the 
little  plants,  it  must  lie  more  closely  together  than 
if  just  thrown  into  the  box,  and  so  it  must  be  "firmed" 
or  pressed  close  to  the  edges  and  into  corners,  and  the 
box  filled  as  full  as  it  will  hold.  If  then  the  whole 
surface  is  gently  pressed,  there  will  still  be  room  for 
the  planting  of  all  seed.  Tiny  seeds  must  be  sown 
broadcast.  Small  seeds  are  better  in  rows  where  any 
irregularity  in  their  coming  up  will  show  the  relative 
value  or  quality  of  the  seed.  With  a  pointed  stick 
scratch  the  lines  for  the  seed  rows  or  make  a  furrow 
say  from  i  inch  deep  for  seeds  the  size  of  a  grain  of 
wheat  to  two  inches  for  those  as  large  as  the  bean. 
While  individual  characteristics  of  seeds  modify  the 
depth  to  plant,  there  is  a  general  rule  that  seeds  under 
artificial  conditions  of  planting  should  be  put  in  the 
ground  to  a  depth  equal  to  their  greatest  diameter, 
and  that,  when  planted  in  the  open,  the  depth  should 
be  four  times  their  diameter.  Moderate  size  seeds 
should  lie  one-half  inch  apart.  In  all  cases  after 
sowing,  the  seeds  should  be  covered  with  a  layer  of 
fine  soil,  and  firmed.     Those  in  flats  should  then  be 

297 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

watered  very  carefully  so  as  not  to  dislodge  them. 
One  may  sink  the  flat  in  water  and  leave  it  until 
moisture  appears  upon  the  surface  of  the  soil.  One 
may  water  with  a  fine  spray  directly,  or  upon  a  layer 
of  thin  porous  paper,  like  tissue  or  newspaper.  With  a 
greenhouse,  the  flats  may  be  placed  under  the  benches, 
for  the  desirable  thing  is  darkness,  moderate  warmth 
and  moisture  until  the  little  heads  break  through  the 
earth.  Avoid  too  much  wetness  and  gradually  ac- 
custom the  baby  plants  to  the  strong  sunshine  or 
they  will  damp  off,  rot  at  the  surface  of  the  soil  and 
wither  even  more  quickly  than  if  allowed  to  perish 
for  want  of  water.  Greenhouse  warmth  is  desirable 
because  bottom  heat  draws  moisture  down  to  the 
forming  roots  while  top  heat  tends  to  rapid  evaporation 
and  consequent  drying  out.  Label  and  Date.  It  is 
better  to  have  a  uniform  place  for  placing  the  label 
and  to  put  on  it  date  of  planting,  name  of  plant  and 
the  children's  initials  when  they  do  the  work  them- 
selves. 

Pricking  out  Seedlings. — When  the  little  plants  have 
put  forth  their  first  or  second  leaves  and  perhaps  have 
become  too  crowded,  or  when  they  have  grown  larger 
and  it  is  still  too  cold  to  plant  them  out  of  doors,  or 
when  there  are  not  a  sufficient  number  of  small  flower 
pots  for  transplanting  them,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
"prick  out  the  seedlings." 

Soil:  The  same  as  for  seedlings  and  the  flats  filled 
in  like  manner.  When  moving  the  plants  do  not 
attempt  to  take  them  out  one  by  one,  but  first  wet 
the  soil,  then  very  carefully  run  the  point  of  a  trowel 
or  a  flat  pointed  stick  down  the  side  of  the  flat  until 
it  is  below  the  roots.     Take  up  an  inch  or  two  of  earth 

298 


APPENDICES 

(if  the  seedlings  be  from  seed  sown  broadcast)  or  a 
larger  portion  if  they  are  in  rows.  Lay  these  on  a 
board  in  a  shaded  place;  carefully  separate  each  plant 
and  gently  shake  the  earth  from  each  before  replant- 
ing it. 

Resetting:  Begin  at  the  left-hand  corner  of  the 
freshly  filled  flat,  the  corner  farthest  from  you,  and 
with  your  fmger  or  a  dibble  make  a  hole  deep  enough 
to  drop  in  the  full  length  of  the  roots  of  the  seedling 
so  as  to  have  it  stand  upright  when  transplanted  and 
at  a  little  lower  depth  in  the  earth  than  in  its  previous 
home.  Firm  the  soil  around  the  roots  and  stem. 
Set  the  plants  about  two  inches  apart,  keeping  the 
rows  straight.  Label  Sprinkle  well  and  set  away 
out  of  the  sun  until  the  plant  has  had  time  to  estab- 
lish itself;  most  plants  will  do  this  in  twenty-four 
hours  or  a  little  longer.  A  small  dibble  can  easily  be 
shaped  from  a  clothespin ;  one  of  larger  size  for  out- 
door planting  from  the  end  of  a  broom  handle  or  the 
handle  of  a  broken  garden  tool;  if  such  tool  has  a 
handle,  as  an  old  spade,  leave  on  for  greater  comfort 
in  using. 

Potting  Seedlings. — Soil:  When  the  time  comes  for 
potting,  the  plant  has  become  strong  enough  to  require 
more  food  and  to  risk  some  dangers.  As  a  seedling 
we  treated  it  like  a  baby.  We  had  to  give  it  food, 
but  we  tried  to  do  it  so  that  if  there  was  anything  in 
the  food  that  might  disagree  with  it,  any  germs  of 
the  diseases  that  attack  plants,  or  any  insects,  we 
should  have  as  few  as  possible.  We  carefully  sifted 
the  soil  that  there  should  be  no  cut  worms  or  other 
evil  things  that  we  could  see  to  get  rid  of.  We  gave 
the  little  seed  for  its  first  food  that  which  was  well 

299 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

fitted  for  it,  and  only  enough,  supplying  it  with  clean 
sand  that  helped  to  hold  the  warmth  for  the  seedHng 
and  also  to  shed  excess  of  water.  Now  the  Httle  plant 
is  ready  to  make  some  resistance  to  disease  and  must 
have  a  larger  pasturage  for  its  roaming  roots.  So 
we  will  use  one  part  sand  instead  of  three  as  before, 
add  one  part  of  soil,  and  make  up  our  whole  by  adding 
a  third  part  of  well  rotted  manure.  If  absolutely 
necessary,  or  for  convenience  in  handling,  its  equiva- 
lent in  commercial  fertilizer  may  be  used,  and  all  be 
sifted  together. 

For  Pots:  Use  the  one  and  a  half  inch  or  two  inch 
pots.  As  they  are  very  porous  and  would  rob  the 
plants  of  all  the  water  with  which  they  are  wet  the 
first  time,  the  pots  must  be  thoroughly  soaked;  they 
must  also  be  thoroughly  clean  before  using.*  First, 
wash  them  lest  they  have  any  dirt  or  mould  to  harm 
their  new  tenants.  Then  in  the  bottom  of  each  pot 
place  bits  of  stone  for  drainage.  Fill  the  pot  about  a 
third  full  of  the  prepared  soil,  using  only  the  finer 
siftings.  Lift  the  plant  or  plants  carefully,  taking 
one  at  a  time,  hold  it  with  the  left  hand  in  the  center 
of  the  pot,  and  fill  in  the  soil  evenly  on  all  sides,  press- 
ing it  firmly  until  it  comes  to  within  about  one  fourth 
or  one  half  inch  of  the  top  of  the  pot.     Label. 

Water:  It  is  better  to  do  this  by  placing  the  pots 
in  water  and  allowing  the  moisture  to  soak  up  through 
the  pots.  Set  away  in  the  shade  or  cover  with  a  paper 
until  the  plants  have  established  themselves. 

Shifting  or  Repotting. — Soil:     Here   again    the  soil 

*  Many  times  the  cheaper  paper  pots  at  small  cost  per  hundred 
may  be  used.  These  may  be  later  buried  in  the  ground  and  allowed 
to  decompose. 

300 


APPENDICES 

changes  to  two  quarts  sand,  four  quarts  soil,  four 
quarts  well-rotted  manure  well  sifted  and  having 
added  to  it  one  half  pint  fine  ground  bone.  This, 
thoroughly  mixed,  makes  a  good  food  supply  for 
larger  plants.  In  any  of  these  soil  compositions,  cow 
manure,  a  "cold"  manure,  can  be  advantageously 
substituted  for  well-rotted  horse  manure.  The  pots 
should  change  according  to  development  of  plant  to 
sizes  one  half  inch  or  inch  larger,  at  each  resetting. 

Method  of  Shifting:  Have  the  earth  in  the  f)ot 
from  which  the  plant  is  to  be  removed  slightly  damp. 
It  will  come  out  easier,  the  soil  will  adhere  together 
instead  of  crumbling,  and  the  roots  of  the  plant  will 
be  less  disturbed.  Remove  the  plant  by  inverting 
its  pot  and  rapping  it  slightly  on  the  edge  of  a  bench 
or  table.  Meanwhile  hold  the  plant  so  that  its  ball  of 
earth  will  fall  lightly  into  the  left  hand;  crumble  a 
little  earth  from  the  upper  and  lower  edges  of  the  ball 
so  as  to  expose  a  fresh,  clean  surface.  Remove  any 
adhering  drainage  and  reset  in  a  pot  one  third  filled 
with  earth.  Firm  the  soil  well  about  the  plant,  keep- 
ing it  erect  and  well  centered.  Label.  Water  and  set 
away  in  shade  for  twenty-four  hours. 

Transplanting. — An  easy  method  of  transplanting  is 
to  take  any  ordinary  board  i  foot  wide*  and  as  long  as 
the  bed  is  wide.  Space  it  off  into  squares  2x2  inches 
or  2  X  3  inches  according  to  the  distance  apart  the 
plants  are  to  be  set  and  bore  a  ^  inch  hole  at  each 
cross  and  drive  into  this  a  pin  that  has  been  sharp- 
ened rather  bluntly,  that  will  project  about  3^  inches. 
Lay  the  board  on  the  bed  pegs  down  and  step  on  it. 
This  will  drive  the  pins  into  the  earth  making  places 
for  the  plants.    Then  lift  the  board  and  move  it  back 

301 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

its  own  width  and  stand  on  it  and  set  the  plants  in  the 
holes  just  made.  Move  the  board  as  before  and  set 
plants  and  proceed  in  this  manner  till  the  bed  is 
finished.  By  this  method  the  earth  in  the  bed  is 
evenly  firmed  and  the  plants  are  put  in  perfect  regu- 
larity.    (Suggested  by  R.  F.  Powell.) 


NOTE  14,  PAGE  98 

TYPES  OF  RECORDS 

From  School  Gardening  for  California  Schools,  by  B.  M.  Davis 

Teacher's  Record 


Lessons 


Instruction  and  demonstration  of 
garden  preparation. 


Practical  Work  1    Observations 


Garden     prepa-    Look  for  earth- 
ration,  worms. 


Instruction    and    demonstration  Plant    radishes.  Look  for  earth- 

of  seed  planting.  worms. 

Instruction     in     making    plant  Plant      carrots, 

records.  beets.                 


Child's  Record 


Date 

Work 

Finished     garden     by     breaking 

clods  and  raking. 
Planted  radishes  and  lettuce. 

Planted  onion  sets. 
Planted  carrots  and  beets. 

Observations 

Nov.  10 
Nov.  1 1 
Nov.  12 

Found  some  earthworms 

Looked  for  earthworms, 
but  found  none. 

Nov.  13 
Nov.  14 
Nov.  15 

Radishes  coming  up. 
Rain. 

302 


APPENDICES 
A  Plant  Record 


c 

i 

it 

i 

N'arivly 

1 

i 

0 
S5 

1 

Kncmics 
Animals    Kungi 

Remarks 

55 

h 

Z 
W 

40 

PC 

A 

Radish 

French 

Nov.  lo 

Dec.  ao 

.0 

N<»ie    1  None 

Thinned 

Breakfast 

1 

out  10 

plants 

Thinned 

Radish 

Scarlet 
Turnip 

Nov.  lo 

)< 

40 

Dec.  18 

18 

•• 

None    i  None 

! 

out   8 
plants 

NOTE  15,  PAGE  199 
COOKING  NOTES 

Such  brief  recipes  as  the  following  may  be  given 
children,  especially  those  of  foreign  born  parentage. 
(Do  not  forget  the  limitations  of  your  pupils'  homes. 
Give  the  simplest  directions.) 

The  One  Constant  Rule  For  Cooking  Vegetables:  All 
fresh  vegetables  should  be  plunged  in  boiling  water. 
All  dried  vegetables  should  be  placed  in  cold  water 
and  brought  to  a  boil. 

(1)  Spinach:  Wash  leaves  thoroughly.  Boil  water, 
add  salt,  put  in  leaves;  when  tender,  strain,  eat  with 
vinegar;  or  chop  the  leaves  fine  and  add  sauce,  heat- 
ing the  spinach  in  it.  When  ready,  serve  with  slices 
of  hard  boiled  egg  as  a  garnish. 

(2)  Swiss  chard:  Boil  leaves  until  tender  and  eat 
with  vinegar  or  add  a  sauce  as  for  lettuce. 

(3)  Beets:  Boil  the  leaves  when  young  and  eat 
with  vinegar  or  sauce,  or  boil  the  root,  skin,  slice  and 
add  vinegar. 

(4)  Turnip:    Wash   the  root  thoroughly;    cook  in 

303 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

salted  boiling  water,  mash,  season  with  butter,  pepper 
and  salt,  or  cut  in  slices  and  add  sauce. 

(5)  Lettuce:  May  be  eaten  with  sugar  and  vinegar, 
with  oil  or  with  mayonnaise  dressing  made  thus  : 
Yolk  of  one  egg  beaten  and  add  to  it  i  teaspoonful  of 
made  mustard;  pour  in  olive  oil,  beating  until  quite 
thick;  season  with  J  teaspoonful  of  salt  and  pepper 
and  3  tablespoonfuls  of  vinegar.  This  will  be  enough 
for  two  salads  and  will  keep. 

Older  lettuce:  Take  the  best  inner  leaves,  wash, 
put  in  boiling  water;  add  a  little  salt;  cook  until 
tender,  strain,  cover  with  sauce  made  of  melted  butter 
and  a  little  flour  and  salt. 

(6)  Radish:  Eat  the  root  with  salt;  also  with  vine- 
gar. 

Teach  the  use  of  as  many  new  greens  for  cooking  as 
possible.  Foreign  children  may  be  able  to  teach  the 
teacher.  New  Englanders  sometimes  use  the  tender 
shoots  of  milkweed  as  a  salad  or  salt  them  down  so  as 
to  have  greens  in  winter  time.  Purslane,  dandelion, 
etc.,  are  used. 


NOTE  16,  PAGE  222 
INSECTICIDES 
Injurious  insects  are  divided  into  two  great  classes, 
the  biting,  gnawing,  or  chewing  insects  which  actually 
eat  some  part  of  the  plant  they  attack,  and  the  suck- 
ing insects  which  slowly  draw  the  juices  from  the 
plants.  Common  types  of  the  first  are  beetles  and 
grass  hoppers;  of  the  second,  aphids,  plant  bugs  and 
scale  insects.  Dose  the  first  with  something  that  will 
poison   their  food,  generally  some  form  of  arsenical 

304 


APPENDICES 

poison,  as  Paris  green.  Give  the  second  something 
that  they  will  inhale  and  that  will  stop  their  breath- 
ing, like  hellebore,  pyrethrum,  or  something  that  will 
smother  them,  like  emulsions  of  kerosene  oil,  whale 
oil  soap,  etc.     Bordeaux  mixture  is  good  for  blight. 


NOTE  17.  PAGE  225 
SCHOOL  OF  HORTICULTURE,  HARTFORD,  CONN. 


Plan 

of  20- foot  Garden.    ( 1 : 

it  year) 

43 

Spinach 

North 

42 

20 

Corn 

. 

41 

Tomatoes 

19 

40 

Turnips 

18 

Beans  (i8i) 

39 

',1 

3« 

Tomatoes  (3  hills) 

38 

Cucumbers  (4  hills) 

'5 

Beans  (15  J) 

11 

14 

1  omatoes 

13 

Lettuce 

35 

Tomatoes  (3  hills) 

12 

Peas 

34 
33 
32 

1 1 
10 

Peas 

Potatoes 

9 

3' 

8 

Parsnip 

30 

7 

29 

Potatoes 

6 

Carrots 

28 

5 

27 

Turnips  (July  15) 

4 

Swiss  Chard 

26 

Celery 

3 

25 

Turnips  (Julv  15) 

2 

Beets  and  Cabbage 

24 
23 
22 

Celery 

I 
Line 

Flowers 

Lima  Beans 

South 
Flan 

1 
of    <yO-foot   Garden, 

1909. 

21 
20 
>9 

Peppers  (5  hills) 

{4th  year) 

18 

Peas 

50 

Corn  (Hills  12  in.  a 

part) 

18 

(later,  transplanted  cab- 

4Q 

bage) 

48* 

Beans 

'7 

47 

Corn    and   Squash 
mer) 

(sum- 

16 

Peas 
(later,  transplanted  cab- 

46 

16 

bage) 

45i 

Beans 

15 

44 

Corn   and  Turnips 
turnips  well) 

(Thin 

<4 
•3 

Egg-plant  (5  hills) 

305 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


School  of  Horticulture,  Hartford,  Conn. — (Continued) 


Peppers  (5  hills  ) 

Cabbage  and  Beets 
(Cabbage  seed  1 2  in.  apart 
among  the  beets) 

Swiss  Chard 

Parsnips  and  Radish 
(planted  together) 

Beets     and    Onion     Sets 
(Sets  6"  apart) 

Carrots       and       Parsley 
(every  12  in.) 


Line 


Beets 

Onion  Sets 

Choice  of  Flowers  or  Vege- 
tables 

Flowers 

May  15,  lettuce,  radish 
and  turnip  planted. 
May  22,  peas,  beets 
and  Swiss  Chard.  June 
5,  Corn.  Other  planting 
up  to  July  ist 

Lettuce  planted  and  trans- 
planted wherever  con- 
\enient 


306 


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3'5 


APPENDICES 

NOIl{   1 8,  PAGK  226 

Largest  yield  from  34x8  foot  plot  was : — 

4  bunches  of  radishes. 

\  bushel  of  lettuce. 

2  qts.  beans. 

I  pk.  beet  greens. 

i  pk.  beets. 

I  pk.  carrots. 

A  Cleveland  school  garden,  1905. 

Produce  on  10  x  30  foot  plot,  June  26th — Oct.  7th,     The  plot  was 

planted  May  1  rth,  18th,  and  25th.  Radishes  and  lettuce  were  picked 
before  June  26th  when  this  record  began. 

June  26th  July  24th 

Radishes 10  1  qt.  Peas 

Turnips 1  1  qt.  Beans 

Spinach   J  pk.  5  Carrots 

June  30th  i  pk.  Swiss  Chard 

Radishes 33  2  heads  Lettuce 

Turnips 1  qt  143  Pansies 

Pansies 34  July  28th 

Verbenas 88  3  Peppers 

Lettuce i  head  1  qt.  Peas 

July  3rd  I  pk.  Swiss  Chard 

i  pk.  Spinach  2  qts.  Beans 

I  pk.  (scant)  Swiss  Chard  ^  pt.  shelled  Beans 

24  Pansies  i  Squash 

July  5th  150  Pansies 

I  pt.  Peas  2  heads  Lettuce 

i  pk.  Spinach  July  30th 

July  7th  13  Carrots 

i  pk.  Swiss  Chard  2  heads  Lettuce 

35  Pansies  Aug.  2nd 

July  16th  3  Carrots 

7  Beets  Aug.  7th 

1  head  Lettuce  1  pk.  Swiss  Chard 
63  Pansies  1  Squash 

July  17th  2  Cucumbers 

2  qts.  Peas  1  Pepper 
6  Beets  1  Tomato 

2  heads  Lettuce  5  heads  Lettuce 

July  21st  I  Carrot 

2  qts.  Wax  Beans  100  Pansies 
i  pk.  Swiss  Chard 


317 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 


Aug.  I  ith 
2  Squash 
2  Cucumbers 
I  Tomato 

7  ears  Corn 
75  Pansies 

Aug.  15th 

1 1  ears  Corn 

8  Tomatoes 
I  head  Lettuce 

Aug.  1 8th 

6  ears  Corn 
I  Squash 
4  Cucumbers 

ID  Tomatoes 

1  pk.  Swiss  Chard 
Aug.  22nd 

2  Cucumbers 

7  Tomatoes 

3  ears  Corn 
Aug.  25th 

3  Squash 

8  Tomatoes 

4  Cucumbers 

1  pk.  Swiss  Chard 
10  ears  Corn 

Aug.  28th 

2  Cucumbers 

3  Squash 
I  pk.  Swiss  Chard 

Sept.  ist 

3  Tomatoes 
1  Cucumber 
1  pt.  Peas 

A  few  squash  were  left  in  the  garden. 
Horticulture,  Hartford. 


Sept.  3rd 

i  pk.  Swiss  Chard 

2  Cucumbers 

3  Tomatoes 
I  Pepper 
3  Squash 

Sept.  7th 

Dug  the  Potatoes 
3  Squash 

3  Cucumbers 

1  pk.  Potatoes 
13  Turnips 

7  Radishes 
5  Tomatoes 
Sept.  15th 
10  Squash 

2  Tomatoes 
12  Radishes 

4  heads  Lettuce 
10  Turnips 

Sept.  22nd 

Q  Squash 

4  heads  Lettuce 
Sept.  2Qth 

3  heads  Cabbage 

4  heads  Lettuce 
i  pk.  Swiss  Chard 

5  Peppers 
7th 

2  Squash 
I  head  Cabbage 

6  Peppers 


Record  of  plot,  School  of 


Oct. 


The  average  yield  from  the  plots  of  the  school 
8  by  16  feet,  was  496  radishes,  21  beets,  2^  pecks 
of  beans  15  heads  of  lettuce,  22  turnips,  202  tomatoes, 
and  I  quart  of  lima  beans.  One  hoe  was  stolen,  the 
only  loss  during  the  entire  season.  There  were  hun- 
dreds of  applicants  for  plots  for  the  next  year.  Gam- 
bling and  rioting  have  disappeared  from  the  neighbor- 
hood, there  have  been  fewer  arrests  than  before,  and 


3.8 


APPENDICES 

the  college  settlement,  a  block  away,  reported  that 
"never  had  there  been  a  summer  so  peaceful." 

(Jewell,  J.  R.,  Agricultural  Education,  1907.) 

NOTE  19,  PAGE  230 

YONKERS  SCHOOL  GARDENS 

SuGGtsTtD  Program* 

Purpose 

1.  To  retain  influence  on  children  through  the  year. 

2.  To  make  garden  work  continuous. 

Methods 

1.  Garden  work — Greenhouse  and  cold  frames. 

Slips,  cuttings,  bulbs,  perennials,  flats. 

All  methods  of  propagation. 

Window  boxes  and  potting. 

Gathering  of  seeds,  roots  and  slips. 

Preparation  for  next  season's  work. 

Renovating  of  tools,  markers,  varnishing,  etc. 

Sorting  and  measuring  of  seeds. 

Homemade  envelopes. 

Help  for  home  gardens,  in  measuring  seeds. 

Lectures:  Market  product,  commercial  food 
stuffs,  trees,  farms,  farming,  domestic  ani- 
mals, etc.,  pests,  cocoons,  etc. 

2.  Playground — The  garden  after  closing  in  fall,  to  be 

at  once  ploughed  and  harrowed  and  used 
as  playground  for  four  months. 

Free  play,  group  games,  fair  play. 

Football,  slides,  skating,  snow  forts  and 
warfare. 

♦Courtesy  of  Mrs.  Arthur  Livcrmore. 


AMONG    SCHOOL   GARDENS 

Making  of  simple  apparatus. 
Kite  flying  and  making  of  flying  toys. 
3.  Club  House — ^To  make  Yonkers  a  Garden  City. 

"Clean  city"  clubs: — Talks  on  use  and  care  of 

parks  and  trees. 
Hygiene  talks,  illustrated  by  plants. 
Simple  civics — simple  sanitation. 
Sanitary  League  talks. 
Manufacture  of  "box  furniture." 
Music. 

The  Club  House 
ist   floor — One  large  audience  hall^for  lectures  and 

lantern  and  music — pianola. 
2nd  floor— I.  Reading  room — papers,   magazines   and 

books. 

2.  Game  room. 

3.  Model  housekeeping  room — Teach  wash- 

ing, ironing,  sweeping,  dusting,  cham- 
ber work,  vegetable  preparation  and 
cooking. 

4.  Class  rooms. 
3d    floor — For  caretakers. 


320 


APPENDIX  B 

ADULT  TESTIMONY 

Mrs.  Edith  Goodyear  Alger. 

**In  a  school  garden  properly  conducted  chil- 
dren become  so  deeply  interested  in  accomplishing 
a  certain,  definite,  near  and  understandable  re- 
sult— the  raising  of  flowers  and  vegetables — that 
they  learn  to  work  hard  without  being  conscious 
of  effort.  This  is  a  matter  of  the  highest  im- 
portance in  educating  children." — Vermont  Cir- 
culars of  Educational  Information,  No.  XIII. 

The  American  Civic  Association  has  "the  firm 
conviction  that  there  is  no  more  potent  influence 
for  better  civic  conditions  in  America  than  the 
educated  youth,  in  whom  there  is  developed  this 
critical  discernment  of  beauty  and  excellence  in 
nature  and  art,  an  abiding  love  for  these  things, 
and  a  feeling  of  personal  responsibility  for  better 
civic  conditions.  Furthermore,  its  members  are 
firmly  convinced  that  there  is  no  more  efficient 
agency  for  the  attainment  of  those  high  ideals 
in  education  than  school  garden  work,  properly 
correlated  with  other  school  work."     jjl^  ,    -^    -^^ 

Dr.   W.  A.    Baldwin,   President  Normal  School, 
Hyannis,  Mass. 
"  I  know  of  no  form  of  work  which  has  thus  far 
been  introduced  into  our  schools  that  is  helping 

321 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

SO  much  as  is  the  school  garden,  toward  the 
development  of  the  latest  and  best  thought  in 
pedagogy.  Schools  are  not  to  teach  a  prepara- 
tion for  life,  but  living  itself,  and  that  means  the 
greatest  unfolding  of  the  soul  through  reaction 
upon  environment,  physical,  industrial,  social. 
The  school  garden  gives  many  opportunities  for 
such  unfolding.  Certainly  the  school  garden  is 
an  instrument  of  sound  education. 

"  If  it  is  to  accomplish  all  that  it  should,  it  must 
be  work  not  play;  it  must  be  to  the  child,  in 
some  degree,  what  the  farm  is  to  the  farmer;  it 
must  be  planned  and  conducted  with  the  idea  that 
it  is  to  yield  a  fair  return  for  the  labor  that  is  put 
into  it,  and  that  the  child  who  does  the  work  is  to 
reap  the  reward  of  his  labors.  Such  a  garden  will 
make  the  child  industrious,  thoughtful  and  sym- 
pathetic."—Hyannis  Normal  School  Catalogue, 
1907,  page  30. 

Miss  Mary  Marshall  Butler,  President  of  the 
Women's  Institute,  Yonkers,  N.  Y. 
''Our  School  Garden  has  convinced  me  that  this 
form  of  outdoor  education  is  a  rational  and  proper 
sequence  in  the  development  of  manual  training. 
As  some  one  has  aptly  said,  'we  need  the  shop, 
the  kitchen  and  the  garden  to  cover  completely 
industrial  education.'  The  necessity  for  indus- 
trial or  manual  training,  not  only  because  of  its 
practical  application  to  life  but  also  because  of  its 
stimulus  to  the  brain,  needs  no  argument. 

322 


APPENDICES 

"Our  Yonkers  garden  has  convinced  me  that  it 
is  a  blessing  to  the  child  and  to  society,  and  that 
it  contains  many  elements  of  educational,  social 
and  economic  value." — Letter. 

Dr.     Otis     W.     Caldwell,     Chicago     University. 
Founder  of  the  first  school  garden  in  Illinois 
at  the  Charleston  State  Normal  School. 
"One  of  the  most  important  relations  that  the 
garden  bears  to  natural  history  work  in  general 
exists  in  the  opportunity  it  presents  for  organizing 
a  considerable  part  of  the  materials  of  natural 
history.     .     .     .     It  offers,  furthermore,  an  intro- 
duction to  nature,  first  through  economic  plants, 
the  ones  best  known  and  most  closely  associated 
with    the    home   and    social    life." — The  Normal 
School  Bulletin,  Jan.,  1908. 

Charles  L.  Coon,  Superintendent  of  Education, 
North  Carolina. 
"The  garden  is  necessary  because  it  furnishes  a 
combination  of  hand  work  and  book  work  that  pro- 
motes thinking  and  observation."  "The  School 
Garden."    (Leaflet.) 

R.    II.    Cowley,    author    of    Macdonald    School 

Gardens. 

"Through  the  work  of  the  school  garden  the 

pupil's  powers  of  observation  are  turned  into  the 

orderly  channels  of  cause  and  effect.     His  ever 

widening  outlook  toward  the  objects  and  forces  of 

nature  frees  his  mind  from  the  power  of  sensory 

24  323 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

illusions  and  his  moral  nature  from  superstitions. 
Habits  of  accuracy  are  formed  in  measuring  the 
value  of  experiments  according  to  the  results  ob- 
tained. In  noting  carefully  and  with  deep  interest 
both  causes  and  effects,  in  assuming  responsi- 
bility for  work  that  he  performs  in  equal  oppor- 
tunity with  his  companions,  in  daily  exercising 
his  power  of  initiative,  in  constantly  combining 
thought  and  action,  he  is  steadily  developing  ele- 
ments of  character  that  must  prove  of  great  value 
in  after  life.  The  good  influence  of  the  school 
garden  on  the  discipline  and  moral  tone  of  the 
school  is  remarked  by  all  the  teachers.  Pupils 
hitherto  troublesome  have  become  orderly  and 
docile.  The  percentage  of  regularity  in  attend- 
ance has  increased,  and  a  deeper  interest  is  taken 
in  all  work  of  the  school." — **The  Macdonald 
School  Gardens,"  in  Queen  s  Quarterly,  page  417. 

Professor  J.  G.  Coulter  and  Miss  Alice  Jean  Patter- 
son,   Department    of   Nature    Study,    State 
Normal  University,  Normal,  111. 
"To  relate  nature  study  to  human  interest  is 
sound  pedagogy,  for  intelligence  in  what  relates 
to  living  should  be  a  fundamental  in  education. 

**The  school  garden,  probably  more  than  any 
other  phase  of  nature  work,  seems  to  supply  a 
natural  demand  irrespective  of  locality.  It  has 
a  definite  mission  to  fulfil  in  the  city  as  well  as  in 
the  village  and  rural  school." — The  Normal  School 
Quarterly,  Jan.,  1909. 

324 


APPENDICES 

Dick  J.  Crosby,  of  the  Office  of  Experiment  Sta- 
tions, Washington. 
"Experience  has  shown  that  devoting  four  or 
five  hours  a  week,  or  even  two  hours  a  day,  to 
nature  study  and  gardening,  if  properly  conducted, 
enables  the  pupils  to  accomplish  more  in  the  re- 
maining time  than  they  formerly  accomplished 
in  the  whole  time  spent  in  school/' — American 
Civic  Association,  Dept.  of  Children's  Gardens, 
Leaflet  No.  i. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Marshall  Davis,  Miami  University, 
formerly  of  the  State  Normal  School,  Chico, 
Cal.,  and  author  of  "School  Gardens  for  Cali- 
fornia Schools." 
"The  greatest  value  of  these  gardens  lies  in 
making  up  to  the  city  child  somewhat  for  the  fact 
that  contact  with  nature  is  almost  wholly  left  out 
of  his  life.     They  form  the  basis  of  the  most  prac- 
tical sort  of  nature  study  possible  in  cities.     In 
many   cases,   no  doubt,   the   amount   of  money 
spent  for  charts  and  other  so-called  aids  to  study, 
would  be  sufficient  to  cover  the  expense  of  a  gar- 
den.    But  such  an  investment  in  a  garden  would 
be  a  clear  educational  gain  because  much  of  the 
illustrative    material   for    geography   and    other 
subjects  would   be  prepared  by  the  children." — 
"School  Gardens  for  California  Schools,"  page  9. 

President  Eliot  of  Harvard,  says:    "A  leading 
object  in  education  for  efTiciency  is  the  cultivation 

325 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

of  the  critical  discernment  of  beauty  and  excel- 
lence in  things,  and  words,  and  thoughts,  in 
nature,  and  in  human  nature." — "  Education  for 
Efficiency,"  page  i8. 

George  D.  Fuller,  University  of  Chicago.  Direc- 
tor of  the  first  Macdonald  school  garden  in 
Broome  County,  Quebec. 

"  In  some  schools  there  has  been  a  very  notice- 
able change  in  the  attitude  of  the  pupils  toward 
the  schoolroom  and  grounds,  and  they  now  take 
pride  in  beautiful  surroundings  and  care  for  them 
where  formerly  they  sought  but  to  make  desola- 
tion more  hideous. 

*'As  the  pupils  have  planned  their  plots,  have 
measured  and  staked  them  out,  planted  the  seed 
and  cared  for  the  plants,  they  have  become  more 
skilful  of  hand  and  more  accurate  of  eye,  while 
working  from  a  definite  plan  has  trained  the  judg- 
ment and  taught  them  to  foresee  the  future.  All 
these  results  would  warrant  the  existence  of  school 
gardens,  but  more  noticeable  has  been  the  re- 
sponse to  the  appeal  made  to  the  higher  nature  of 
the  child." 

"The  pupils'  attention  has  been  turned  to  a 
consideration  of  the  beautiful  to  the  exclusion  of 
many  baser  thoughts,  and  the  resulting  moral 
culture  has  found  expression  in  more  orderly 
behavior." — ''The  School  Garden  and  The  Coun- 
try School,"  pages  46  and  246. 


326 


APPENDICES 

B.   F.  Galloway,  Chief  of  the   Bureau  of  Plant 
Industry,  United  States  Department  of  Agri- 
culture. 
"It  is  desirable,  where  it  can  be  made  a  class 
exercise,  that  school  time  be  devoted  to  this  work, 
for  when  done  after  hours  it  is  necessarily  volun- 
tary, and  those  who  do  not  volunteer  are  often  the 
ones  it  is  especially  desirable  to  reach." — "School 
Gardens,"  U.  S.  Bulletin  No.  i6o.  Office  of  Ex- 
periment Station,  page  43. 

"  In  the  school  garden  the  fact  should  always  be 
kept  prominent  that  the  pupil  is  to  be  the  most 
active  factor.  We  can  put  things  in  his  way  to 
help  him  develop  properly  and  keep  him  from 
some  of  the  things  that  fail  so  to  help  him,  but 
we  cannot  do  his  developing  for  him,  and  if  he  is 
to  have  a  knowledge  of  the  elementary  principles 
of  life,  of  industry,  of  mankind,  of  beauty  and 
justice,  he  must  grow  into  these  things  by  means 
of  first  hand  experience  with  them.  To  obtain 
this  growth  and  to  eliminate  some  undesirable 
things  in  the  school,  the  school  garden  should 
certainly  prove  efficient."  —  "School  Gardens," 
U.  S.  Bulletin  No.  160. 

The  Gardening  Association  of  America,  "or- 
ganized for  the  development  of  school  gardening 
and  other  activities  tending  to  occupy  the  people 
and  train  them  to  the  best  use  of  land  for  their 
intellectual,   material   and   physical   betterment" 

327 


AMONG   SCHOOL    GARDENS 

includes  in  its  membership  both  individuals  and 
associations  that  are  interested  in  promoting 
home  and  school  gardens.  It  includes  in  its  board 
of  governors  such  people  as  Mr.  Bolton  Hall,  Pres. 
Haines  of  the  Home  Gardening  Association,  Cleve- 
land; Mr.  Samuel  Fels,  Dr.  C.  F.  Hodge,  Miss  Louise 
Klein  Miller,  Mrs.  L.  L.  Wilson,  of  the  Philadel- 
phia Normal  School;  Dr.  Crapsey,  of  Rochester, 
and  Mr.  R.  F.  Powell,  of  the  Buffalo  Vacant  Lot 
Association. 

Dr.  C.  F.  Hodge,  Clark  University. 

*'The  same  thinking,  willing,  doing,  the  same 
patience  that  enter  into  care  of  the  plant  or  the 
fledgling  bird  will  later  enter  into  the  care  of 
home  and  children."— Speech  at  Session  of  Con- 
ference on  Prevention  of  Infant  Mortality,  New 
Haven,  Nov.  ii,  1909. 

"A  school  garden  can  also  supply  ethical  culture 
where  it  is  most  needed." — ''Nature  Study  and 
Life,"  page  130. 

E.  A.   Howes,   Principal  of  Macdonald  Consoli- 
dated School,  Guelph,  and  Director  of  the 
first  Macdonald  School  Garden  at  Bowesville, 
Ontario. 
"  I  am  ready  to  put  myself  on  record  as  saying 
that  the  school  garden  has  relieved  much  of  the 
drudgery  of  the  school  work  to  which  I  was  always 
accustomed.     This  year  we  had  our  school  garden 

328 


APPENDICES 

and  it  has  been  the  pleasantest  year  of  my  school 
work.  I  would  never  again  pass  a  summer  with- 
out a  school  garden.  The  child's  mind  gets  growth 
out  of  it  because  it  is  something  it  can  understand. 
Not  only  does  the  School  Garden  serve  well  as  a 
means  of  educating  and  training  the  child,  but  it 
supplies  a  class  of  knowledge  that  is  highly  useful 
and  cultivates  a  taste  for  an  honorable  and  re- 
munerative vocation." — ^.Letter. 

James  Ralph  Jewell,  Author  of  "Agricultural 
Education  including  Nature  Study  and  School 
Gardens." 

"The  importance  of  school  gardens  is  indicated 
by  the  impetus  given  them  from  so  many  sides, 
by  the  fact  that  they  are  not  in  any  way  the  fad 
of  some  one  class  of  people,  but  that  they  are  used 
— and  successfully  used — by  organizations  with 
widely  different  purposes  to  further  their  own  aims 
and  to  solve  the  problems  of  special  interest  to 
them."    (Page  37.) 

'*The  district  nurses  of  some  of  our  American 
cities  report  much  better  health  among  children 
at  work  in  school  gardens  than  before  such  work 
was  undertaken — a  thing  of  no  inconsiderable  im- 
portance to  us  as  a  people."    (Page  121.) 

"College  settlements  in  all  the  cities  have  lent 
their  aid,  and  everywhere  local  agricultural  and 
horticultural  societies  have  given  at  least  moral 
support.  The  committee  of  five  of  the  National 
Educational  Council  has  attested  to  the  value  of  a 

329 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

garden  with  every  school.  The  American  Civic 
Association  has  organized  a  department  of  chil- 
dren's gardens."    (Page  38.) 

''The  American  Institute  of  Social  Science  is 
conducting  a  propaganda  for  the  establishment 
of  schools  for  children  of  weak  and  undeveloped 
constitutions  where  power  of  resistance  is  small, 
where  the  buildings  shall  be  surrounded  by  trees 
and  where  gardening  shall  be  a  particular  feature.'' 
(Page  120.) — ''Agricultural  Education." 

"Practical  ethics  are  best  insured  by  making 
every  citizen,  at  least  potentially,  a  producer. 
For  example,  a  small,  well-managed  farm  school 
has  proved  more  successful  than  any  other  means 
for  reforming  boys  with  criminal  tendencies." 
(Page  126.) 

"The  ethical  value  of  producing  something 
cannot  be  overestimated;  in  this  lies  the  only  road 
to  altruism  open  to  the  child,  as  well  as  a  guaranty 
of  his  respect  for  the  products  of  others."    (Page 

125.) 

"Country  children  have  become  interested  in 
the  science  of  their  future  life  occupation,  and  so 
they  have  been  taught  to  think  for  themselves 
and  to  respect  their  calling.  Children  have  been 
taught  through  these  gardens  more  about  practical 
ethics  than  by  any  other  means  yet  devised,  besides 
learning  something  of  the  fundamental  occupation 
of  mankind — tilling  the  earth."     (Page  46.) 

330 


APPENDICES 

"  In  rural  schools  where  other  forms  of  manual 
training  are  perhaps  out  of  the  question  for  the 
present,  practical  agricultural  work  supplies  the 
motor  training  needed  by  all  and  essential  to  the 
motor  minded."     (Page  125.) 

"School  gardens  possess  all  these  advantages 
of  manual  training,  with  the  added  ones,  over 
some  forms  of  this  discipline,  of  their  feasibility 
almost  anywhere,  of  easier  inculcation  of  the  sense 
of  ownership,  of  working  with  the  fundamental 
instead  of  the  mere  accessory  muscles,  and  of 
being  essentially  out-of-door  work."    (Page  41 .) 

"School  gardens  have  the  advantage  over  all 
other  school  work  of  promoting  the  health  of  the 
child,  especially  in  cases  of  incipient  tuberculosis." 
(Page  125.) 

Finally,  to  quote  once  more  from  Mr.  Jewell's  in- 
vestigation   concerning    agricultural    educa- 
tion: 
"A  study  of  the  laws  of  nature  may  well  teach 
one  that  'whatsoever  a  man  soweth,  that  shall  he 
also  reap,'  in   his  life  as  well   as  from   the  soil, 
in  working  through  a  long  season,  side  by  side 
with  others,  the  child  gets  his  earliest  and  best 
instruction  in  social  responsibilities,  in  what  he 
owes  to  his  neighbor,  one  of  the  most  important 
things  an  individual  of  to-day  has  to  learn." — 
(Page  118.) — "Agricultural  Education." 


331 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Miss  Dora  Keen,  Vice-President,  The  Public  Edu- 
cation Association  of  Philadelphia. 
"  (i)  To  teach  children  to  learn  by  observation, 
and  to  give  them  practical  training  by  the  eye 
and  the  hand. 

(2)  To  teach  children  to  apply  what  they  learn 
from  books,  as  to  nature  study,  mensuration,  and 
other  subjects,  without  the  strain  of  additional 
indoor  work. 

(3)  To  influence  character  by  appeal  to  their 
love  of  nature. 

(4)  To  prepare  children  for  citizenship  by  teach- 
ing, practically,  the  care  of  private  and  public 
property. 

(5)  To  mould  character  by  demanding  inde- 
pendence, each  child  being  dependent  upon  him- 
self in  a  garden  for  the  results  of  his  labor. 

(6)  To  impress  practically  and  theoretically  the 
law  of  sequence,  one  event  proceeding  from 
another  as  its  direct  consequence. 

(7)  To  educate  the  emotions,  by  teaching  care 
and  protection  of  tender  growing  things. 

A  GARDENER,  no  matter  how  excellent, 
will  not  be  as  competent  as  an  experienced  teacher 
to  carry  out  these  educational  purposes  of  school 
gardens." — Report  of  the  Public  Education  Asso- 
ciation of  Philadelphia,  1905. 

A.   W.    Leech,    Day   School    Inspector,    Rosebud 
Indian  Agency. 
"These  people   (the   Indians)   have  never  fol- 
332 


APPENDICES 

lowed  agriculture  and  in  their  primitive  state  de- 
pended entirely  on  the  chase,  thus  differing  from 
many  of  the  tribes  of  the  east  and  the  south.  It 
is  to  change  them  from  this  manner  of  Hving  that 
the  school  and  school  garden  are  instituted  among 
them."— Letter. 

Edward  Martin,  Director  Public  Health  and 
Charities,  Philadelphia,  writes:  '*In  the  slums  of 
Philadelphia^  I  have  found  that  in  the  houses 
where  there  are  flowers — a  result  of  our  school 
gardens^there  is  neat  cleanliness,  although  all 
around  is  squalor.'' 

"School  gardens  in  the  slums  of  a  number  of 
cities  have  taught  more  civic  righteousness  than 
all  the  police  courts  or  college  settlements  have 
been  able  to  do."  -Quoted  in  Keen's  "Philadel- 
phia School  Gardens." 

Miss  Louise  Klein  Miller,  Curator  of  School  Gardens, 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

"The  work  of  gardening  is  all  wholesome  and 
conducive  to  making  better,  stronger  boys  and 
girls  and  more  industrious,  law-abiding  citizens." 
■ — "Children's  Gardens,"  page  71. 

"Experience  has  taught  that  this  is  the  best 
possible  kind  of  work  for  this  (defective)  class  of 
children,  it  opens  a  new  avenue  for  future  oc- 
cupation."— Letter. 

"It  ministers  directly  to  physical  well-being; 
helps  to  establish  habits  of  punctuality,  regularity 

333 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

and  constancy;  reveals  executive  ability  in  those 
who  superintend;  and  arouses  a  desire  to  improve 
the  home  grounds/'^Home  Gardening  Associa- 
tion Report,  1906,  page  9. 

Dr.  James  W.  Robertson,  President  of  Mac- 
donald  College,  Ste.  Anne  de  Bellevue, 
Quebec,  Canada. 
''When  a  child  does  anything  with  its  own 
hands,  such  as  planting  a  seed,  pulling  up  a  plant, 
making  examination  of  the  changes  which  have 
taken  place  during  its  growth,  making  a  drawing 
of  it,  mounting  it  and  putting  its  name  on  it,  he 
receives  impressions  by  the  sense  of  touch,  he 
sees,  he  hears  the  noise  of  the  movements  he  makes, 
and  he  smells  the  soil  and  the  part  of  the  plant 
with  which  he  is  dealing.  Those  impressions  are 
definite  and  lasting;  they  add  to  the  sum  of  sen- 
suous knowledge;  they  prepare  for  the  perception 
of  logical  knowledge,  in  a  common  sense  way." — 
"Macdonald  Fund  for  Manual  Training  and  the 
Improvement  of  Rural  Schools,"  page  43. 

''Since  engaging  in  the  work  my  boys  and  girls 
have  been  first  in  all  examinations,  competing 
with  children  from  other  schools,  including  city 
schools.  The  whole  tone  of  the  school  has  been 
improved  morally,  socially,  and  esthetically.  Our 
boys  and  girls  have  now  a  reverence  for  life 
unknown  before,  and  it  has  awakened  in  them,  as 


334 


APPENDICES 

nothing  else  could  do,  a  deeper  interest   in   ail 
life  around  them."    (Page  197.) 

"The  best  education  in  rural  schools  should 
make  the  people  like  rural  life  and  also  enable 
them  to  make  it  more  profitable.  The  best  way 
to  make  any  workman  like  his  work  is  to  make 
him  understand  it.  The  school  garden  is  one  way 
of  making  rural  life  more  popular  as  well  as 
efficient."  -"The  Macdonald  Movement  for  Rural 
Education,"  page  193. 

Erasmus  Schwab,  Vienna.     Founder  of  the  move- 
ment, and  author  of  "The  School  Garden," 
1855. 
"A   proper  school  garden   may,   must   and   is 
destined    to    be    the    place    where    children    are 
happiest;    it  must  be  the  dearest  spot  in  those 
hours  which  they  do  not  spend  in  the  schoolroom 
or  occupy  at   home  in  work  for   the  school." — 
"The  School  Garden,"  page  22. 


335 


APPENDIX  C 

HOW  TO  PLANT  A  TREE* 

I .  Dig  the  hole  wider  and  deeper  than  the  tree  re- 
quires. If  the  tree  just  fits  into  the  socket  the  tips  of 
the  roots  will  meet  a  hard  wall  which  they  are  too 
delicate  to  penetrate,  hold  fast  to,  or  feed  in. 

W.  Be  sure  that  the  surface  soil  is  hoarded  at  one  side 
when  the  hole  is  dug.  This  soil  is  mellow  and  full  of 
plant  food.  The  under  soil  is  harder  and  more  barren. 
Some  rich  garden  soil  can  well  be  brought  over  and 
used  instead  of  the  subsoil. 

III.  Take  up  as  large  a  root  system  as  possible  with 
the  tree  you  dig.  The  smaller  the  ball  of  earth,  the 
greater  the  loss  of  feeding  roots  and  the  danger  of 
starvation  to  the  tree. 

IV.  Trim  all  torn  and  broken  roots  with  a  sharp  knife. 
A  ragged  wound  below  or  above  the  ground  is  slow  and 
uncertain  in  healing.  A  clean,  slanting  cut  heals 
soonest  and  surest. 

V.  Set  the  tree  on  a  bed  of  mellow  soil  with  all  its 
roots  spread  naturally. 

VI.  Let  the  level  be  the  same  as  before.     The  tree's 

roots  must  be  planted,  but  not  buried  too  deep  to 

breathe.     A  stick  laid  across  the  hole  at  the  ground 

level  will  indicate  where  the  tree  "collar"  should  be. 

VII.  Sift  rich   earth,   free    from   clods,   among    the 

*  Rogers,  Julia  E.:  The  Tree  Book.    By  permission  of  Doubleday, 
Page  and  Company. 

336 


APPENDICES 

roots.  Hold  the  tree  erect  and  firm;  lift  it  a  little  to 
make  sure  the  spaces  are  well  filled  underneath.  Pack 
it  well  down  with  your  foot. 

VI 11.  //  in  the  growing  season,  pour  in  water  and  let 
it  settle  away.  This  establishes  contact  between  root 
hairs  and  soil  particles,  and  dissolves  plant  food  for 
absorption.     If  the  tree  is  dormant  do  not  water  it. 

IX.  Fill  the  hole  with  dirt.  Tramp  in  well  as  filling 
goes  on.  Heap  it  somewhat  to  allow  for  settHng.  If 
subsoil  is  used,  put  it  on  last.  Make  the  tree  firm  in 
its  place. 

X.  Prune  the  top  to  a  jew  main  branches  and  shorten 
these.  This  applies  to  a  sapling  of  a  few  years  whose 
head  you  are  able  to  form.  Older  trees  should  also  be 
pruned  to  balance  the  loss  of  roots.  Otherwise  trans- 
piration of  water  from  the  foliage  would  be  so  great  as 
to  overtax  its  roots,  not  yet  established  in  the  new 
place.  Many  trees  die  from  this  abuse.  People  can- 
not bear  to  cut  back  the  handsome  top,  though  a 
handsomer  one  is  soon  supplied  by  following  this 
reasonable  rule. 

XI.  IVater  the  tree  frequently  as  it  first  starts.  A 
thorough  soaking  of  all  the  roots,  not  a  mere  sprink- 
ling of  the  surface  soil,  is  needed.  Continuous  growth 
depends  on  moisture  in  the  soil.  Drainage  will  re- 
move the  surplus  water. 

XII.  Keep  the  surface  soil  free  from  cakes  or  cracks. 
This  prevents  excessive  evaporation.  Do  not  stir  the 
soil  deep  enough  to  disturb  the  roots.  Keep  out 
grass  and  weeds. 


33: 


APPENDIX  C 

TEN  PRINCIPLES  OF  PRUNING* 

1 .  Pruning  the  roots  lessens  the  food  supply,  and  so 
retards  top  growth. 

2.  Pruning  the  top  invigorates  the  branches  that 
remain,  the  root  system  being  unchanged. 

3.  Removing  terminal  buds  induces  forking,  thus 
thickening  the  branching  system.  It  checks  wood 
production,  and  encourages  the  production  of  fruit 
and  flowers. 

4.  Unpruned  trees  tend  to  wood  production. 

5.  Summer  pruning  reduces  the  struggle  among 
leaves  and  twigs  for  light  and  produces  stronger  buds 
for  spring. 

6.  Winter  pruning  removes  superfluous  buds,  in-" 
ducing  greater  health  in  those  that  are  left  to  develop. 

7.  Dead  wood  should  be  taken  out  at  any  season 
and  burned. 

8.  The  best  time  to  prune,  generally  speaking,  is 
just  before  the  growth  starts  in  the  spring. 

9.  Early  winter  pruning  is  undesirable  because  the 
healing  of  wounds  must  wait  until  spring. 

10.  Yearly  pruning  is  better  than  pruning  at  less 
frequent  intervals. 

*  Rogers,  Julia  E.:  The  Tree  Book.  By  permission  of  Doubleday, 
Page  and  Company. 


338 


APPENDIX   D 

A  HYMN  FOR  ARBOR  DAY 
By  Henry  Hanby  Hay 

God  save  this  tree  we  plant ! 
And  to  all  nature  grant 

Sunshine  and  rain. 
Let  not  its  branches  fade, 
Save  it  from  axe  and  spade, 
Save  it  for  joyful  shade — 

Guarding  the  plain. 

When  it  is  ripe  to  fall. 
Neighbored  by  trees  as  tall, 

Shape  it  for  good. 
Shape  it  to  bench  and  stool, 
Shape  it  to  square  and  rule. 
Shape  it  for  home  and  school, 

God  bless  the  wood. 

Lord  of  the  earth  and  sea. 
Prosper  our  planted  tree. 

Save  with  Thy  might. 
Save  us  from  indolence, 
Waste  and  improvidence, 
And  in  Thy  excellence 

Lead  us  aright. 


-'5  339 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

I. 

A  FREE  SCHOOL  GARDEN  LIBRARY* 

UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

Farmers'  Bulletins 

No. 

218.  The  School  Garden.    40  pages 
195.  Annual  Flowering  Plants.    48  pages 
185.  Beautifying  the  Home  Grounds.     24  pages 
134.  Tree  Planting  in  Rural  School  Grounds.     32  pages 
1 57.  The  Propagation  of  Plants.     24  pages 
25.  Peanuts:  Culture  and  Uses.     24  pages 
28.  Weeds:  And  How  to  Kill  Them.     30  pages 

*  G)pies  will  be  sent  free  to  any  address  in  the  United  States  on 
application  to  a  Senator,  Representative  or  Delegate  in  Congress,  or 
to  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Many  of  the  state  agricultural  colleges  issue  similar  series,  some- 
times for  sale  outside  the  states.  To  give  a  complete  list  would  ex- 
ceed the  limits  of  this  bibliography,  but  on  page  347  certain  important 
pamphlets  issued  by  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Agriculture 
and  by  the  Hampton  Institute.  Virginia,  are  given  as  indicative  not 
only  of  the  garden  work  done  in  these  two  localities  but  of  the  subject 
matter  that  may  be  expected  from  local  state  authorities.  Title 
lists  can  usually  be  had  upon  application. 

The  Home  Nature  Study  and  Rural  School  Leaflets  of  Cornell 
University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  as  well  as  the  pamphlets  of  the  Cornell 
Agricultural  College,  are  available  for  residents  of  New  York  state, 
but  the  editions  are  limited.  Some  of  these  may  be  found  in  the 
larger  libraries. 

343 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 
No. 

54.  Some  Common  Birds  in  Their  Relation  to  Agri- 
culture.    48  pages 
62.  Marketing  Farm  Produce.     28  pages 
77.  The  Liming  of  Soils.     24  pages 
86.  Thirty   Poisonous   Plants  of  the   United   States. 

32  pages 
91.  Potato  Diseases  and  Their  Treatment.     12  pages 
121.  Beans,    Peas,    and    Other     Legumes     as     Food. 

39  pages 
127.  Important  Insecticides:  Directions  for  their  Prepa- 
ration and  use.     45  pages 
'138.  Irrigation  in  Field  and  Garden.     40  pages 
146.   Insecticides  and  Fungicides.     16  pages 

154.  The  Home  Fruit  Garden:    Preparation  and  Care. 

16  pages 

155.  How    Insects   affect    Health   in    Rural    Districts. 

20  pages 
158.  How  to  Build  Small  Irrigation  Ditches.     20  pages 
181.  Pruning.     39  pages 
188.  Weeds  used  in  Medicine.     47  pages 
192.  Barnyard  Manure.     32  pages 
196.  Usefulness  of  the  American  Toad.     16  pages 
220.  Tomatoes.     32  pages 
233.  Experiment    Station    Work — XXXI.     32     pages 

Root  Systems. 
245.  Renovation  of  Worn-out  Soils.     16  pages 
248.  The  Lawn.     20  pages 

254.  Cucumbers.     32  pages 

255.  The  Home  Vegetable  Garden.     48  pages 

256.  Preparation    of    Vegetables    for    the    Table.     48 

pages 

257.  Soil  Fertility.     40  pages 
35.  Potato  Culture.     24  pages 

344 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
No. 

264.  The   Brown-tail   Moth  and   How  to  Control   It. 

24  pages 
270.  Modern  Conveniences  for  the  Farm   Home.    48 

pages 
275.  The  Gipsy  Moth  and  How  to  Control  It.     24  pages 
278.  Leguminous  Crops  for  Green  Manuring.     29  pages 
289.  Beans.     30  pages 
295.  Potatoes  and  Other  Root  Crops   as   Food.     47 

pages 
315.  Progress  in  Legume  Inoculation.     20  pages 
318.  Cowpeas.    31  pages 
324.  Sweet  Potatoes.     39  pages 
339.  Alfalfa.    48  pages 
354.  Onion  Culture.     36  pages 
359.  Canning  Vegetables  in  the  Home.     16  pages 

Bureau  of  Biological  Survey 
Circulars 
17.  Bird  Day  in  the  Schools.    4  pages 

Bureau  of  Entomology 
Circulars 
3.  An  Important  Enemy  to  Fruit  Trees:   The  San 
Jos^    Scale;     its    appearance  in   the    Eastern 
United  States;  Measures  to  be  taken  to  Prevent 
its  Spread  and  to  Destroy  it.     10  pages 
5.  The  Carpet  Beetle,  or  Buffalo  Moth.     4  pages 
9.  Canker  Worm.    4  pages 
1 1 .  The  Rose  Chafer.    4  pages 

38.  The  Squash-vine  Borer.     6  pages 

39.  The  Common  Squash  Bug.     5  pages 

42.  How  to  Control  the  San  Josd  Scale.     6  pages 
345 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 
No. 

59.  The  Corn  Root-worms.     8  pages 

60.  The  Imported  Cabbage  Worm.     8  pages 
98.  The  Apple-tree  Tent  Caterpillar.     8  pages 

1 04.  The  Common  Red  Spider.     1 1  pages 

Office  of  Experiment  Stations 

Circulars 

60.  The  Teaching  of  Agriculture  in  the  Rural  Common 

Schools.     20  pages 
73.  Country  Life  Education.     13  pages 
84.  Education  for  Country  Life.     40  pages 
160.  School  Gardens.* 

Forest  Service  (Bureau  of  Forestry) 
Circulars 
5.  Arbor  Day  Planting  in  Eastern  States.     4  pages 
II.  Facts   and    Figures    Regarding   Our    Forest    Re- 
sources, Briefly  Stated.     8  pages 
96.  Arbor  Day.     4  pages 

Yearbook  Papers 
125.  Some  Edible  and  Poisonous  Fungi.     18  pages 

(Reprinted  from  the  Yearbook  for  1897.) 

233.  Some   Problems  of  the   Rural   Common   School. 

22  pages 

(Reprinted  from  the  Yearbook  for  1901.) 

382.  The    Use   of    Illustrative    Material    in    Teaching 

Agriculture  in  Rural  Schools.     18  pages 

(Reprinted  from  the  Yearbook  for  1905.) 

*  This  is  out  of  print  as  a  free  document,  but  may  be  had  for 
10  cents  by  applying  to  Superintendent  of  Documents,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C. 

A  list  of  many  valuable  documents  that  are  for  sale  at  from  5 
cents  to  25  cents  apiece,  may  be  had  upon  application. 

346 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

MASSACHUSETTS  STATE  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE 
Nature  Leaflets  (Address  State  House,  Boston,  Mass.) 

The  leaflets  usually  contain  2  to  4  pages  and  are  free  within  the 
state.  They  cost  2  cents  each  fo  those  outside  the  state.  Among 
them  are  the  following: 

No. 

1.  Canker  Worms 

2.  Tent  Caterpillar 

4.  Insecticides,  Fungicides,  and  How  to  Make  Them 

5.  The  White  Marker  Tussock  Moth 

6.  The  Spiny  Elm  Caterpillar 

8.  The  May  Beetle,  also  Ants  Indoors  and  Out 
15.  Bird  Houses 

17.  Bordeaux  Mixture 

18.  Plant  Lice  or  Aphids 

19.  Edible  Weeds  and  Pot  Herbs 

20.  Massachusetts  Weeds 

22  &  25.  Hints  on  Outdoor  Bird  Study 

26.  Browntail  Moth 

27.  Gipsy  Moth 

28.  The  Garden  Toad 

29-32.  School   Gardens  (Written   by    H.   D.  Hemen- 
way) 

A  list  of  publications  will  be  sent  upon  application. 

HAMPTON  NATURE  STUDY   BUREAU 
(Hampton  Institute,  Hampton,  Va.) 

Agricultural  Leaflets 

1.  Plants 

2.  Soils 

3.  Farm  Manures 

4.  Commercial  Fertilizers 

5.  Plowing,  Harrowing  and  Rolling 

6.  Notes  on  Seed  Planting 

7.  Notes  on  Soil  Moisture 

347 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

No. 

8.  Rotation  of  Crops 

9.  Notes  on  Drainage 

Children's  Nature  Study  Leaflets 

1 .  A  Child's  Garden 

2.  How  to  Make  Friends  With  the  Birds 

3.  The  Winged  Pollen  Carriers 

Teachers'  Leaflets 

1.  Nature  Study 

2.  How  Seeds  Travel 

3.  Evergreens 

4.  Seed  Planting  Experiments 

5.  Cocoons  and  Chrysalids 

6.  Roots 

7.  Beautifying  School  Houses  and  Yards 

8.  Winter  Birds 

9.  Soils 

10.  The  Meaning  of  the  Flower 

1 1 .  Plowing 

12.  Harrowing 

13.  Arbor  Day  Suggestions 

14.  How  to  Know  Trees  by  Their  Bark 

15.  School  Gardening 

A  complete  list  may  be  had  upon  application.  They  cost  25 
cents  per  dozen  to  any  one  in  the  Southern  States,  hut  5  cents  each 
or  50  cents  per  dozen  (cheaper  by  the  100)  to  those  outside. 

11.  SELECTED  BIBLIOGRAPHY 
I.  Reference  Books 
Bailey,  L.  H.:  New  Cyclopedia  of  Horticulture,  6  vols. 
Doubleday,    Page   and   Co.,   New   York,    1906. 
I20.00 

348 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cyclopedia  of  Agriculture.     Doubleday,  Page  and 

Co.       $20.00 

Botany,  an  elementary  text  book.     The  Macmillan 

Co.,  New  York,  1901.     |i.oo 
The  Nature  Study   Idea.     Doubleday,   Page  and 

Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $1.00 
Caldwell,  Otis  W.:    Laboratory  Manual  of  Botany. 

D.  Appleton  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.      |  .50 
Crosby,  W.  M.:  Common  Minerals  and  Rocks.     D.  C. 

Heath  and  Co.,  Boston,  1909.     |  .40 
GoFF,  E.  S.,  and  Mayne,  D.   D.:  First  Principles  of 

Agriculture.     American    Book  Co.,   New    York 

and  Cincinnati,  1904.     |  .80 
Gray,  Asa:   Manual  of  Botany,  Edition  1909.     Ameri- 
can Book  Co.,  New  York.     $2.50 
King,  Franklin  H.:   Physics  of  Agriculture  and  The 

Soil.    Orange  Judd  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $  .50 

and  f  1.50 
LiPMAN,  Jacob  G.  :    Bacteria  in  Relation   to  Country 

Life.     The    Macmillan    Co.,    New    York,    1908. 

Long,  E.  A.:    Ornamental  Gardening  for  Americans. 

Orange  Judd  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $1.50 
Maynard,  Samuel  T.:    Landscape  Gardening.    John 

Wiley  and  Sons,  New  York,  1909.     f  1.50 
Parsons,  J.   S.:    How  to   Plan   the   Home  Grounds. 

Doubleday,    Page   and   Co.,   New   York,    1905. 

1 1. 00 
Rogers,  Julia  E.:  The  Tree  Book.     Doubleday,  Page 

and  Co.,  New  York,  1905.     $4.00 

(Finely  illustrated  with  explicit  text) 


349 


>y 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Skinner,  C.  M.:  Little  Gardens,  or  How  to  Beautify 
City  Yards  and  Small  Country  Spaces.  D. 
Appleton  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     I1.25 

(See  for  choice  and  arrangement  of  shrubbery  and  flowers) 

Nature  in  a  City  Yard.     The  Century  Co.,  New 

York,  1909.     $1.00 
Waugh,  F.  a.:    Landscape  Gardening.     Orange  Judd 

Co.,  New  York,  1909.     |  .50 
WooDHULL,  J.  F. :   Manual  of  Home-made  Apparatus. 

New  Paltz,  New  York,  1888.     $  .50 

(Simple  experiments  for  the  schoolroom) 

2.    Books  and  Bulletins  for  the  School  Garden 
AS  A  Whole. 

Alger,  Edith  Goodyear:  School  Gardens.  Circular 
XI n,  Vermont  Dep't.  of  Education,  Montpelier, 
Vermont,  1902. 

(Excellent) 

Bailey,  L.  H.:  Garden  Making,  nth  ed.,  Grosset 
and  Dunlap,  New  York,  1906.     |  .50 

Bailey,  L.  H.,  and  Hunn:  The  Practical  Garden  Book. 
5th  ed.,  Grosset  and  Dunlap,  New  York,  1906. 
I  .50 

(Alphabetically  arranged  and  "containing  the  simplest  direc- 
tions for  the  growing  of  the  commonest  things  about  the 
home  and  garden.") 

Baldwin,  William  A.:  Industrial-Social  Education. 
Milton  Bradley  Co.,  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
1907. 

(Chapter  XIV  — First  year  school  garden  work 

XV  — Second  year  school  garden  work 

XVI  — Correlation  of  school  garden  work  with  other 

studies 
'        XVII — Advantages  of  school  gardens  and  suggestions 
about  their  management) 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

^  The  School  Gardens  and  their  Relation  to  Other 
School  Work.  Dept.  Children's  Gardens. 
Pamphlet  No.  2,  American  Civic  Association, 
Union  Trust  Bldg.,  Washington,  D.  C.  [1904.] 
1. 10 

Bardswell,  F.  a.:  The  Book  of  Town  and  Window 
Gardening.  John  Lane  Co.,  New  York,  1909. 
fi.oo 

(Window,  roof  and  backyard  gardens) 

Beal,  W.  J.:  Seed  Dispersal.     Ginn  and  Co.,  Boston, 

1909.     $  .40 
BiGELOW,  E.  F.:   An  Eggshell  Garden.     St.  Nicholas, 

1904. 
How   Nature  Study  should   be  Taught.     Hinds, 

Noble  and  Eldredge,  New  York,  1904. 

(One  chapter  is  devoted  to  school  gardens.  Useful  in  helping  a 
teacher  to  check  up  results) 

Brittain,  J.:  Manual  and  Outline  of  Nature  Lessons. 
J.  and  A.  McMillan,  St.  Johns,  N.  B. 

(The  maritime  provinces  are  the  most  advanced  in  school 
gardening  work  in  Canada) 

Caldwell,  Otis  W.:  The  School  Garden,  I  and  11 
(1903- 1 908)  The  Normal  School  Bulletin, 
Charleston,  111. 

(Including  an  account  of  the  first  school  garden  in  Illinois. 
It  contains  also  (1)  descriptions  and  illustrations  of  school 
gardens  in  Germany  and  a  discussion  of  the  differences  be- 
tween European  and  American  uses.  A  valuable  contribu- 
tion to  the  subject) 

Corbett,  L.  C.  :  Annual  Flowering  Plants.  Farmers' 
Bulletin  No.  195.     Free 

(Simple  cultural  directions.     Illustrated) 


35' 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Coulter,  J.  M.  and  J.  G.,  and  Patterson,  Alice  Jean: 
Practical  Nature  Study  and  Elementary  Agri- 
culture.    D.  Appleton  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909. 

(Chapters  on  the  school  garden,  and  an  account  of  the  large 
and  successful  school  garden  at  Normal,  111.) 

Coulter,  Stanley:  A  Country  School  Garden.  Na- 
ture Study  Leaflets  No.  9.  Purdue  University, 
Lafayette,  Ind.,  1898. 

(One  of  a  series  of  leaflets  on  nature  study) 

Davis,  B.  M.:  School  Gardens  for  California  Schools. 
A  Manual  for  Teachers.  Publications  of  the 
State  Normal  School,  Chico,  Cal.  Bulletin  No. 
I,  July,  1905.    I  .50 

(The  bulletin  is  intended  to  give  California  teachers  who 
desire  to  conduct  school  gardens  the  benefit  of  Dr.  Davis's 
experience  in  such  work  at  Los  Angeles  and  Chico,  and  of 
his  suggestions  as  put  in  practice  in  Oakland  and  San  Diego. 
Though  written  for  California  conditions,  its  broad  and  thor- 
ough treatment  makes  its  teachings  useful  elsewhere) 

Dearness,  John:  The  Nature  Study  Course.  The 
Copp  Clark  Co.,  Toronto,  Canada,  1905.      |i.oo 

(Excellent  as  showing  the  work  done  in  schools  and  in  school 
gardening) 

Duncan,  Frances:   Mary's  Garden  and  How  it  Grew. 
The  Century  Co.,  New  York,  1904.     I1.25 
When  Mother  Lets  us  Garden.     Moffat,  Yard  and 
Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $  .75 

(Delightful  books  to  use  with  little  children) 

Elementary  Agriculture  and  Horticulture  and  School 
Gardens  in  Rural  and  Village,  Public  and  Sepa- 
rate Schools.  Circular  XIII,  July,  1909.  Issued 
by  Dep't.  of  Education,  Toronto,  Canada 

(Has  charts  and  most  useful  data  for  starting  gardens) 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

^  Emerson,  Philip,  and  Weld,  Clarence  M.:  The 
School  Garden  Book.  Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
New  York,  1909.     fi.25 

(Work  month  by  month.     Very  helpful) 

Hays,  Willet  M.:  Rural  School  Agriculture.  The 
McGill-Warner  Co.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.     $  .50 

(Exercises  in  agriculture  and  housekeeping  for  rural  schools. 
Excellent  problems  to  connect  school  garden  and  school 
work.)     See  Bibliography  page  368 

Hemenway,  Herbert  D.:  How  to  Make  School 
Gardens.  Doubleday,  Page  and  Co.,  New  York, 
1903.     fi.oo 

(Fifteen  pages  on  school  gardens;  3 1  pages  devoted  to  2 1  simple 
lessons  on  gardening;    23  pages  on  greenhouse  work) 

Hints  and   Helps   to   Young  Gardeners,     2d  ed. 

H.  D.  Hemenway,  Hartford,  Cbnn.,  1908.     $  .35 

Hendricks,  E.  L.:  School  Gardens  at  Delphi,  Indiana. 

Nature  Study  Review — Feb.,  1909. 

^HoDGE,  C.  P.:  Nature  Study  and  Life.     Ginn  and  Co., 

Boston  [1902].     1 1. 50 

(One  of  the  very  best  books  for  the  teacher) 

HoLTZ,  Frederick  L.:   Nature  Study.     A  Manual  for 
Teachers  and  Students.     Charles  Scribner's  Sons, 
New  York,  1908.     fi.50 
(Excellent.    Chapter  XVI,  The  School  Garden) 

Jackson,  C.  R.,  and  Daugherty,  Mrs.  L.  S.:  Agricul- 
ture through  the  Laboratory  and  School  Garden. 
Orange  Judd  Co.,  New  York,  1908 
(Good) 

Jekyl,  Gertrude:    Children   and  Gardens.    Charles 

Scribner's  Sons,  New  York,  1908.    I2.00 

353 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Jewell,  James  Ralph:  Agriculture  Education  includ- 
ing Nature  Study  and  School  Gardens.  Bulle- 
tin No.  2,  1907.  U.  S.  Dep't.  of  Interior — 
Bureau  of  Education. 

(Edition  limited.     A  comprehensive  report  of  work  done  to  date) 

Keeper,  C.  A.:  Nature  Studies  on  the  Farm.  Ameri- 
can Book  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     |  .40 

Kern,  O.  J.:  Among  Country  Schools.  Ginn  and  Co., 
Boston  [1906].     1 1. 50 

(Chapter  on  school  gardens;  best  discussion  of  needs  of  country 
schools) 

Kern,  O.  J.:  Annual  Reports  on  the  Schools  of  Winne- 
bago County,  Illinois.     Rockford,  111.,  1904-1909 

(Well  illustrated  and  always  helpful) 

Laidlaw,  Margaret  C:  School  Gardens.  Kinder- 
garten Review,  Sept.,  1904 

Latter,  Lucy:  School  Gardening  for  Little  Children. 
Swan,   Sonnenschein    and    Co.,    London,    1906. 

(One  of  the  best  books,  especially  for  little  children) 

Robertson,  James  W.:  Macdonald  Movement  for 
Rural  Education  and  Other  Addresses.  By  the 
President  of  Macdonald  College,  Ste.  Anne  de 
Bellevue,  Quebec,  Canada. 

(Extremely  practical  and  forceful  arguments  for  improvement 
^  of  rural  schools;    for  a  curriculum  suited  to  an  agricultural 

community;    and  for  the  benefit  to  be  derived  from  school 
gardens) 

Miller,  Louise  Klein:  Children's  Gardens.  D.  Ap- 
pleton  and  Co.,  New  York,  1908.     I1.25 

(Really  descriptive  of  gardens  in  connection  with  schools. 
One  of  the  best  books  published.  Miss  Miller  is  Curator  of 
Gardens  in  the  public  schools  of  Cleveland,  and  jointly  with 
the  Cleveland  Home  Gardening  Association  has  initiated  a 
far  reaching  and  forceful  work) 

354 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

MoRLEY,  Margaret  W.:    Flowers  and  Their  Friends. 

Ginn  and  Co.,  Boston,  1897.     $  .60 

(Delightful  stories  for  little  folks  about  the  morning  glory,  the 
geranium  family,  the  hyacinth  and  the  general  structure  of 
flowers) 

Seed  Babies.     Ginn  and  Co.,  Boston,  1896.     |  .30 

(Catchy  stories  for  little  folks,  such  as  "This  is  the  flower  so 
bright  and  gay"  after  "The  house  that  Jack  built") 

Parsons,  Henry  G.:  Children's  Gardens  for  Pleasure, 
Health  and  Fducation.  Sturgis  and  Walton, 
New  York,     fi.oo 

(Announced  for  April,  1910) 

Parsons,  Mrs.  Henry  M.:  Report  of  the  Children's 
Farm  School  of  DeWitt  Clinton  Park,  1902  1904 
Annual  Reports  of  the  Children's  International 
School  Farm  League,  1907- 1909 

Reports  of    Cleveland    Home  Gardening  Association. 

Address  the  Secretary,  501  St.  Clair  Ave. 

("The  Home  Gardening  Association  aims  to  make  the  city 
beautiful.  It  strives  to  interest  larger  numbers  of  people  in  the 
task.  This  is  done  through  the  distribution  of  seeds  in  penny 
packets,  through  illustrated  lectures,  through  school,  training 
and  vacant  lot  gardens.  Thirty  thousand  families  in  Cleve- 
land, as  well  as  schools  and  civic  organizations  in  more  than 
one  hundred  other  cities  and  villages  participate  in  the  work." 
See  also  in  connection  with  these  the  reports  of  the  Cleve- 
land Board  of  Education  for  school  garden  work  in  that  city.) 

Schwab,  Erasmus:  The  School  Garden  (1855).  Trans- 
lated by  Mrs.  Horace  Mann,  1879.  M.  L.  Hol- 
brook.  New  York,  1879.     |  .50 

(The  eariiest  boiik  on  the  subject  and  by  the  founder  of  the 
school  garden  in  Europe.     Still  a  classic) 

r  SiPH,  Susan  B.:  School  Gardening  and  Nature  Study 
in  Fnglish  Rural  Schools  and  in  London.  U.  S. 
Dept.  of  .Agric,  Office  of  Exp'm't  Stations, 
Bulletin  No.  204 

(Showing  what  can  be  done  under  the  hardest  city  conditions) 
^^  355 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Tree  Planting:  School  Gardens  and  Schoolroom  Deco- 
ration in  Nebraska.  Report  of  Agricultural  Exp. 
Station,  Lincoln,  Neb.     Bulletin  No.  55 

(Excellent) 

Weed,  Clarence  M.:  Seed  Travelers.  Ginn  and  Co., 
Boston,  1902.     $  .50 

14  stories  (7=The  Wind  as  a  Seed  Distributor) 
(5=Seed  Dissemination  by  Birds) 
(2=Seed  Dispersal  by  Spines  and  Hooks) 

Wilson,  Mrs.  Lucy  Langdon  Williams:  Nature 
Study  in  Elementary  Schools.  The  Macmillan 
Co.,  New  York,  1907.  A  Manual  for  Teachers. 
$  .90 
Nature  Study  in  Elementary  Schools 
First  and  Second  Readers.  The  Macmillan  Co., 
New  York,  1905- 1909.     Each,  $  .35 

(Use  these  three  books  together  in  the  first  four  years  of  school 
life  and  later  according  to  the  requirements  of  the  children 
in  the  school  garden.  The  first  presupposes  no  special  train- 
ing on  the  teacher's  part  nor  special  facilities  for  collecting 
material.  The  Readers  lead  to  a  love  of  good  literature. 
Stories  are  arranged  by  months) 

3.  Books  and  Bulletins  on  Tree  and  Plant  Life 

Blanchan,  Neltje:  Nature's  Garden.  Doubleday. 
Page  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     I2.50 

(Flowers  described  according  to  color) 

The  American  Flower  Garden.  Doubleday,  Page 
and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     I5.00 

(Gardens  described  according  to  character,  as  formal  garden, 
rock  garden,  old  fashioned  garden,  etc.  Both  books  ad- 
mirably illustrated) 

Brown,  Kate  Louise:  The  Plant  Baby  and  its  Friends. 
Silver,  Burdett  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     |  .48 
356 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cooke,  Flora  J.:   Nature  Myths.     A.  Flannagan  Co., 
Chicago,    1909.     Cloth    bound,    f  .35;       paper 
bound,  I  .25 
Dana.  Mrs.  Wm.  Starr  (Mrs.  F.  T.  Parsons):     How 
to  know  Perns.     1909.     f  1.50 
How  to  know  Wild  Flowers.     1898.     I2.00 
According  to  Season.      Charles  Scribner's   Sons. 
1902.     I1.75 

Davey,  John:  The  Tree  Doctor.  Saalfield  Publishing 
Co.,  New  York  and  Chicago,  1904 

(Profusely  illustrated) 

Davis,  B.  M.:   Experimental  Studies  of  Plant  Growth. 

The  Miami  Bulletin,  Series  VII,  No.  i.     Miami 

University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  1907 
French,    Allen:     Book   of   Vegetables    and    Garden 

Herbs.     The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York, 

1907.     fi.75 

("Practical   handbook   and    planting  table  for  the   vegetable 
gardener  ') 

Hall,  Bolton:   Three  Acres  and  Liberty.    The  Mac- 
millan Co.,  New  York,  1907.     fi.50 
The  Garden  Yard.     David  McKay,  Philadelphia, 
1909.     1 .80 

(Both  show  what  can  be  accomplished  on  small  areas  of  land) 

Harrison,  F.  C:  The  Weeds  of  Ontario.  Dept.  of 
Agriculture,  Toronto 

(Good  in  part  for  the  United  States) 

Knobel,  E.:  Guide  to  find  the  Trees  and  Shrubs  of 
New  England  by  their  leaves.  Bradlee  Whid- 
den,  Boston,  1894.     Paper  covered,  $  .50 

(Trees  classified  by  the  outline  of  their  leaves;    the  outlines 
illustrated) 

357 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

LouNSBERRY,  Alice  :  The  Garden  Book  for  Young 
People.  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Co.,  New  York, 
1908 

(A  garden  book  in  the  form  of  a  story  of  a  young  boy  and  an 
elder  sister  who  make  so  good  a  garden  that  it  interests  the 
older  people  of  the  neighborhood  also.  The  book  includes 
much  practical  knowledge  of  garden  work  and  something 
about  birds) 

A  Guide  to  Wild  Flowers.  Frederick  A.  Stokes 
Co.,  New  York,  1899.     New  Ed.,   1902.     $1.72 

The  Wild  Flower  Book  for  Young  People.  Fred- 
erick A.  Stokes  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $1.50 

A  Guide  to  the  Trees.  Frederick  A.  Stokes  Co., 
New  York,  1902.     $1.75 

Southern  Wild  Flowers  and  Trees.     Frederick  A. 
Stokes  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     I3.70 
Mathews,  Schuyler  F.  :  The  Beautiful  Flower  Garden. 
Orange  Judd  Co.,  New  York,  1909 

Familiar  Trees  and  Their  Leaves.  D.  Appleton 
and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.    I1.75 

Familiar  Features  of  the  Roadside  (flowers,  trees, 
insects,  birds).  D.  Appleton  and  Co.,  New  York, 
1897.     1 1. 75 

Familiar  Flowers  of  Field  and  Garden.     D.  Apple- 
ton  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $1.40 
Northrup,  Alice  R.:    Flower  Shows  in  City  Schools. 

Nature  Study  Review,  May,  1905 
Osterhaut,  W.  J.  v.:   Experiments  with  Plants.     The 
Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1906.     $1.25 

(Most  useful  in  suggesting  and  devising  simple  plant  experi- 
ments) 

Powell,  E.  P.:  The  Country  Home.  McClure,  Phil- 
lips and  Co.,  New  York,  1904 

(Chapters  on  flowers  and  vegetables) 

358 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Hedges,  Windbreaks,  Shelters,  Live  Fences.    Mc- 
Clure,  Phillips  and  Co.,  New  York,  1900.     f  .50 
Roe,  E.  p.:    The  Home  Acre.     Dodd,  Mead  and  Co., 
New  York,  1909.     |  .75 

(Two  chapters  on  the  kitchen  garden) 

Rogers,  Ellen  R.:  Trees  every  Child  should  Know. 
48  ill.  Doubleday,  Page  and  Co.,  New  York, 
1909.    1 1. 20 

(Interesting  to  children) 

ScHAUFFLER,  RoBERT  Haven  :  Arbor  Day.  Moffat, 
Yard  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     |i.oo 

("Its  history,  observance,  spirit,  significance;  with  practical 
suggestions  on  tree  planting  and  conservation  and  nature 
anthology") 

Smith,  Eleanor:  Songs  for  the  Year.     Silver,  Burdett 

and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     2  parts.     Each  f  .15 
Songs  of  Life  and   Nature.     Silver,  Burdett  and 

Co.,  New  York,  1909.     f  1.25,  also  $  .75 
Stone,  Gertrude  L.,  and  Pickett,  M.  Grace:   Trees 

in   Prose  and  Poetry.     Ginn  and  Co.,   Boston, 

1909.     f.55 

(Poetry  of  the  common  trees) 

"^Tree  Nurseries   in   School   Gardens.     Country  Life  in 
America,  1903,  No.  6 
Tree  Planting,  Methods  of.    Agr.  Exp.  Station,  Lincoln, 

Nebr.,  Bulletin  No.  56 
Frees  of  Vermont.      Agric.  Exp.  Station,  Burlington, 
Vt.,  Bulletin  No.  73 

(Good  for  New  England  and  New  York) 

Weed,  C.  M.  :  Ten  New  England  Blossoms.     Houghton. 
Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1909.     I1.25 
359 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

4.  Books  and  Bulletins  on  Animal  Life  in  the 
Garden 

(a)  Birds 
Babcock,  Charles  A.:   Bird  Day  and  How  to  Prepare 

for  it.     Silver,    Burdett   and   Co.,   New   York, 

1909.     $  .50 
Badenoch,   L.   N.:    Romance  of   the    Insect   World. 

The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $1.25 

(Good  for  fourth  to  sixth  grade  children) 

True  Tales  of  Insects.     E.  P.  Dutton.     I3.00 
Blanchan,  Neltje:    Bird  Neighbors.     Orange  Judd 

Co.,  New  York,  1909.  $2.00 
BowDiSH,  B.  S.:  Putting  up  of  Bird  Houses;  How  to 
make  and  where  to  place.  Special  leaflet, 
National  Association  of  Audubon  Societies. 
New  York,  1908 
Chapman,  Frank  M.:  North  American  Birds.  Double- 
day,  Page  and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $2.50 

(Color  key  to  the  birds.     Has  over  800  illustrations) 

Dickerson,  Mary  C:  The  Frog  book,  or  North  Ameri- 
can Frogs  and  Toads.  Doubleday,  Page  and 
Co.,  New  York,  1909.     I4.00 

(Over  400  illustrations) 

Moths   and   butterflies.     Ginn   and   Co.,    Boston, 
1909.     I2.50 
DuGMORE,    Arthur    R.:     Bird    Homes.     Doubleday, 
Page  and  Cb.,  New  York,  1909.     $2.00 
Fifty  common  birds  of  Vermont.     Dept.  of  Educa- 
tion, Circular  XVI II,  Montpelier,  Vt. 

(Prepared  for  teachers  and  school  officers) 
360 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Grinnell,   Elizabeth   and  Joseph:    Our   Feathered 

Friends.     D.  C  Heath  and  Co.,  Boston,   1909. 

Boards.     $  .30 
Birds  of  Song  and  Story.     A.  W.  Mumford  and  Co., 

1901.     fi.oo 
Miller,    Olive    Thorne:     Bird    Ways.     Houghton, 

Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1885.     f  1.25 
First  Book  of  Birds.     Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co., 

Boston,  1899.     $1.00 
Second  Book  of  Birds.     Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co., 

Boston,  190 1.     $1.00 
Little  Brother  of  the  Air.     Houghton,  Mifflin  and 

Co.,  Boston,  1892.     $1.25 
In    Nesting   Time.     Houghton,    Mifflin    and    Co., 

Boston,  i888.     I1.25 
Upon  the  Tree  Tops.     Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co., 

Boston,  1897.     1 1. 25 
True   Bird   Stories.     Houghton,   Mifflin   and  Co., 

Boston,  1903.     fi.oo 
Nash,  C.  W.:  The  Birds  of  Ontario  in  relation  to  Agri- 
culture.    Dept.  of  Agric,  Toronto 
Pearson,  T.  G.:   Stories  of  Bird  Life.     Johnson  Pub'g. 

Co.,  Richmond,  Va.,  1901.     f  .60 

(b)   Insects 

Butterflies  and  Moths  injurious  to  our  Fruit  Producing 

Plants.     Agr.  Exp.  Station,    St.  Anthony  Park, 

Minn.     Bulletin  61 
CoMSTOCK,  Anna  B.:  How  to  Keep  Bees.     Doubleday, 

Page  and  Co.,  New  York,  1905.     f  i.oo 
CoMSTOcK,  John   H.  and  Anna   B.:    Manual  for  the 

Study  of  Insect  Life.     J.  H.  Comstock,  Ithaca, 

N.  Y.,  1906.     I4.00 

36, 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

CoMSTocK,  John  H.:  Insect  Life.  D.  Appleton  and 
Gd.,  New  York,  1905.     I1.50 

("An  introduction  to  nature  study,  and  a  guide  for  teachers, 
students  and  others  interested  in  outdoor  Hfe."  Better 
than  the  Manual  for  the  average  reader) 

Holland,  W.  J.:  The  Butterfly  Book.  Doubleday, 
Page  and  Co.,  New  York,  1898.     I3.00 

Howard,  L.  O.  :  The  Insect  Book.  Doubleday,  Page 
and  Co.,  New  York,  1901.     I3.00 

Insects  Injurious  to  Shade  and  Ornamental  Plants. 
Agr.  Exp.  Station,  New  Brunswick,  N.J.  Bul- 
letin No.  181 

KiRKLAND,  Arthur:  Usefulness  of  the  American  Toad. 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  196 

Knobel,  E.:   Day  Butterflies  and  Duskfliers.     Bradlee 
Whidden,  Boston,   1895.     Paper,  $  .50 
The  Beetles  of  New  England.     Bradlee  Whidden, 
Boston,  1895.     Paper,  |  .50 

(Books  easily  slipped  in  the  pocket;  mostly  illustrations,  and 
convenient  for  identifying,  but  not  reliable  for  all  names. 
Used  with  Comstock  as  an  authority  in  names,  they  are  help- 
ful) 

MoRLEY,  Margaret  W.:    Bee  People.     A.  C.  McCIurg 
and  Co.     1899.    I1.25 
Butterflies  and  Bees.     Ginn  and  Co.,  Boston,  1909. 

1.75 
Insect  Folk.     Ginn  and  Co.,  Boston,  1903.     f  .55 
Little  Wanderers.     Ginn  and  Co.,   Boston,    1899. 
$.30 
Peckham,  G.  W.  and  E.  G.:    Wasps,  Social  and  Soli- 
tary.    Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1905. 
$1.50 
PiERSON,  C.  D.:   Among  Pond  People.     E.  P.  Dutton, 
New  York,  1901.     |i.oo 
362 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Reed,  Chester  A.:  A  Bird  Guide.     C.  K.  Reed,  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  1905.     2  parts,  each  f  .75 
Part  I.  Water,  Game  and  Birds  of  Prey 
Part  II.  Land  Birds  east  of  the  Rockies 

(The  books  are  in  flexible  cloth  2\  by  5!  inches- and  contain 
over  200  illustrations  in  color.     A  good  pocket  guide) 

Goldfish — Aquaria — Ferneries.      Doubleday,  Page 
and  Co.,  New  York,  1909.     $  .50 
Rogers,  Julia    E.:    Life   in   an   Aquarium.     Cornell 

Leaflet  No.  1 1 
Weed,  C.  M.:    Insects  and   Insecticides.     2d  rev.  ed., 
Orange  Judd  Co.,  New  York,  1908 
Life    Histories   of   American    Insects.     The    Mac- 
millan  Co.,  New  York,  1906.     $  .50 

(Delightful  stories  to  tell  the  children) 

Nature   Biographies.     Doubleday,   Page  and  Co., 
New  York,  1901.     $1.35 

("The  lives  of  some  everyday  butterflies,  moths,  grasshoppers 
and  flies") 

Fungi   and    Fungicides.     Orange  Judd  Co.,   New 

York,  1894.     $1.00 
Stories  of  Insect  Life:    Series  i  and  2,  20  stories. 
Ginn  and  Co.,  Boston,  1897.     |  .50 
Wright,    Mabel   Osgood:     Heart   of  Nature   Series. 
The  Macmillan  Cb.,  New  York,   1904.     $  .50 
(Including  "Stories  of  plants  and  animals;"  "Sto- 
ries of  earth  and  sky;"    "Stories  of  birds  and 
beasts") 
5.  The  School  Garden  in  Periodical  Literature 

The  most  complete  bibliography  of  the  school  garden  was  issued 
by  Dr.  B.  M.  Davis,  now  of  Miami  University,  in  his  "School  Gardens 
for  California  Schools.  "  published  by  the  Chico  State  Normal  School. 
Cal.,  in  IQ04.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  scattered  articles  are  there 
enumerated.  Since  then,  many  others  have  appeared.  The  older 
list  contains  numerous  pamphlets  which  are  no  longer  accessible  to 

363 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

the  reader.  Some  are  obtainable  at  libraries  where  files  of  Country 
Life,  Suburban  Life,  The  Garden  Magazine,  IVorld's  IVork,  the  Reports 
of  the  National  Educational  Association  (N.E.A.),  copies  of  the 
Nature  Study  Review,  of  the  Journal  of  Education,  files  of  reports  of 
the  horticultural  societies  and  similar  publications,  and,  finally,  of 
the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  are  kept.  From  Dr.  Davis's 
list  I  have  selected  a  few  that  seemed  most  likely  and  best  fitted  to 
repay  a  search  or  a  trip  to  a  large  library.  The  best  method  for 
obtaining  access  to  the  constant  outcrop  of  pamphlets  bearing  upon 
school-gardening  is  to  keep  in  touch  with  national  and  state  publica- 
tion lists;  publications  of  normal  schools  and  colleges  that  are  already 
known  for  excellent  work;  and  those  sent  out  by  such  societies  as 
t    the  American  Civic  Association. 

(a)  General  references 
^    American  Civic  Association :   Suggestions  for  Beautify- 
ing the  Home,  Village  and  Roadway.    Outdoor 
Art  Dep't.,  Pamphlet  No.  5 
Window  Gardening.     By  Herbert  D.  Hemenway. 
Dept.  Pamphlet  No.  i.     1905 
Babcock,  E.  B.:  Suggestions  for  Garden  Work  in  Cali- 
fornia Schools.     University  of  California,  Agri- 
cultural    Experiment    Station.       Circular    46. 
Berkeley,  Cal.,  1909 
Bowles,  J.  M.:    A  Flower  Garden  for  Every  Child. 
fV or  Id's  Work,  May,  1904 
^    Coon,  Charles  L.  (Editor) :  Geography,  Nature  Study 
and    Agriculture    in    the    Elementary    Schools. 
A  Manual  for  Teachers.     Teachers'  Bulletin  H. 
Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Davis,  B.  M.:   What  Constitutes  Successful  Work  in 
Agriculture  in  Rural  Schools.     Report  of  Nat. 
Educ.  Association,  1908 
DoRNER,  Herman  B.  :  Window  Gardening  in  the  School 
Room.     Purdue    University,    Lafayette,     Ind., 
1905 
t/      Hemenway,  H.  D.:    Hartford  School  of  Horticulture. 
Nature  Study  Review,  January,  1905 
364 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

School,  Rural,  Study  of  Crops  in  the  Fields.     U.  S. 
Dept.  of  Agriculture  Yearbook,  1905 

(Including  agricultural  study  as  aid  to  other  school  work; 
laboratory  exercises  and  materials) 

X  Window  Gardening.   American  Civic  Association.  Out- 
door Art  Department,  Pamphlet  No.  i. 
Stout    Manual    Training    School    (Menomonie,   Wis.): 
1899.     A  Handbook  for  Planning  and  Planting 
the  Small  Home  Grounds 

(b)  From  Bibliography  by  B.  M.  Davis 

,    Addis,  Wellford:    Course  in  Agriculture  in   Higher 

1889       Elementary  Schools  in   France.     U.  S.   Bureau 

of    Education.     Report    of   Commissioners    for 

1889-1890,  Vol.  2,  pp.  1007-1013 

^    American  Park  and  Outdoor  Art  Association.*     Report 

1903       of  special  school-garden  session  of  the  7th  annual 

meeting.  Vol.  7,  Part  3,  pp.  1-54 

(It  contains  report  of  standing  committee  on  school  grounds, 
which  states: 

"1.  That  the  American  Park  and  Outdoor  Art  Association 
acting  through  its  committees,  individual  members,  and 
affiliated  organizations,  lend  its  active  support  and  encourage- 
ment to  the  beautification  of  school  grounds  and  to  the  es- 
tablishment and  maintenance  of  school  gardens  and  play- 
grounds for  children. 

"2.  That,  in  pursuance  of  this  end,  the  Association  co-operate 
with  city  and  school  officials,  local  associations,  and  other 
organizations:   and 

"3.  I  hat  the  Association  encourage  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  courses  of  study  in  normal  schools,  agricul- 

f  *  The  American  Park  and  Outdoor  Art  Association  no  longer 
exists  under  this  title.  At  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  10,  1904.  the  American 
Civic  Association  was  formed  by  the  merger  of  the  American 
Park  and  Outdoor  Art  Association  and  the  American  League  for 
Civic  Improvement.  AH  communications  should  now  be  addressed 
to  American  Civic  Association.  Union  Trust  BIdg..  Washington,  D.  C. 

365 


^ 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

tural  colleges,  and  other  like  institutions  of  learning,  such 
as  will  prepare  teachers  for  work  of  this  kind.") 

(This  report  of  special  school  garden  session  also  contains 
reports  on  school  gardens  from  twenty  different  states,  and 
from  Porto  Rico  and  Hawaii) 

Bailey,  L.  H.:   Hints  on  Rural  School  Grounds.     Cor- 

1889  nell  University.  Experiment  Station  Bulletin 
No.  160,  pp.  271-290 

1903  School  Gardens.  Country  Life  in  America,  Vol.  3, 
pp.  190-192.     Doubleday,  Page  and  Co. 

1903  The  Nature  Study  Movement.  Journal  of  Pro- 
ceedings and  Addresses  of  the  N.  E.  A.,  1903, 
pp.  109-1 16 

Baldwin,  W.  A.:   Industrial  Training  in  Rural  Schools. 

1903  Journal  of  Proceedings  and  Addresses  of  the 
N.  E.  A.,  1903,  pp.  193-198 

Bartholomew,  A.  C.:  Gardening;  Its  Role  in  Prepara- 
1900  tory  School  Life.  London:  British  Board  of 
Education,  Special  Reports,  Vol.  6,  pp.  321-325 
Barton,  Nellie:  Lessons  in  Nature  Study.  Glen- 
1902  wood,  la.  Institute  for  Feeble-Minded  Chil- 
dren, pp.  25-29 
Beard,  Annie  E.  S.:  New  Methods  in  School  Gardens. 

1904  The  IVorld  To-day,  Vol.  6,  No.  5,  pp.  675-681 
Bessey,  C.   E.  et  al.:    New  Elementary  Agriculture. 
1904       Lincoln,  Neb.     The  University  Pub.  Co.,  1903, 

pp.  10-194 

("The  school  laws  of  Nebraska  require  teachers  to  pass  a 
satisfactory  examination  in  the  elements  of  agriculture, 
including  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  structure  and  habits  of  the 
common  plants,  insects,  birds,  and  quadrupeds,  for  second 
grade  county  certificates  and  all  grades  above  the  second. 
This  book  has  been  prepared  and  published  in  answer  to  the 
direct  demand  resultant  from  the  law  quoted  above.") 

Blair,  J.  C. :   The  Study  of  Horticulture:   A  series  of 
;^3       eight  articles  on  various  phases  of  the  subject 

366 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

adapted  for  use  in  public  schools.     School  News, 
Taylorville,  ill.,  Oct.,  1902,  to  May,  1903.     Re- 
printed  in   the  form  of  eight-page  leaflets  by 
publisher  of  School  News,  and  sold  at  one  cent 
each  in  quantities  of  ten  or  more 
Brereton,  Cloudesley:   The  Rural  School  of  North- 
190a       west  France.     London:   British  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, Special  Reports,  Vol.  7,  pp.  9-14,  1-224 
Bright,  Orville  T.  :    School  Gardens,  City  School- 
1903       yards,  and  the  Surroundings  of  Rural  Schools. 
Journal  of   Proceedings  and  Addresses  of  the 
N.  E.  A.,  1903,  pp.  77-8$ 
Corbett,  L.  C:    Plants  as  a  Factor  in  Home  Adorn- 
'90'       ment.     U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture.     Yearbook, 

1902,  pp.  501-518 
Crosby,  D.  J.:  School  Gardens.     The  Outlook,  Vol.  71, 
'9°'       pp.  852-861 

Children's  Gardens.      Prospectus  of   the  Depart- 
'9°^       ment  of  Children's  Gardens  of  the  American 
Civic    Association,    Washington.     Department 
Leaflet  No.  i ,  p.  8 

("  The  department  of  Children's  Gardens  is  one  of  the  coordinate 
departments  of  the  American  Civic  Association  formed  at 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  lo,  1904,  by  the  merger  of  the  American 
Park  and  Outdoor  Art  Association  and  the  American  League 
for  Civic  Improvement.  The  'Prospectus'  includes:  Pur- 
pose of  the  Children's-Gardens  Department,  Educational 
Value  of  School  Gardens,  Work  of  the  Department,  Recent 
School  Garden  Publications. 

"  Under  Work  of  the  Department  the  plans  are  set  forth  as 
twofold:  (1)  to  furnish  information  regarding  school  gardens, 
(2)  to  conduct  an  active  propaganda  tor  the  extension  of  the 
school  garden  movement.") 

CuMMiNGS,    Horace:     Nature    Study    Leaflets.     Salt 

>»97        Lake  City,   Utah:    University  of   Utah,   State 

Normal  School;  Monthly  leaflets  partly  devoted 

to  school  gardens,  published    from    1897- 1902 

367 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

Davis,   J.    E.:     The   Whittier    School    Garden.     The 

^903       Southern  Workman,  Vol.  31,  pp.  598-603 

^903    A    Successful    School    Garden.     Country   Life    in 

America,  Vol.  3,  pp.  192-194 

Fowler,  W.  K.,  et  al.:  The  Model  School,  Home  and 

1902       Grounds,  etc.     Lincoln,  Neb.     Bulletin  of  State 

Department  of  Education,  School  Buildings  and 

Grounds  in  Nebraska,  pp.  102-134 

y   Gang,  E.:    School  Gardens.     U.  S.  Bureau  of  Educa- 

1899  tion.     Report  of  Commissioner,  1898-99,  Vol.  i, 
pp.  I 067- I 084 

("This  is  translated  from  Rein's  Pedagogical  Encyclopedia. 
It  is  one  of  the  best  short  accounts,  especially  from  a  his- 
torical standpoint,  published. 

Contents:  Historical  review;  Sites  and  arrangement  of 
school  gardens;  Different  sections  of  school  gardens;  Manage- 
ment; Instruction  in  school  gardens;  Educational  and  econo- 
mic significance  of  school  gardens. ") 

Georgens,  J.  D. :  Der  Volksschulgarten  und  das  Volks- 
»873       schulhaus.     Berlin.     F.  Henschel,  1873,  pp,  6- 
190 

("This  was  prepared  by  order  of  the  Royal  Land  Commission 
of  Prussia  for  the  Vienna  Exposition  of  1873.  It  is  of  special 
interest  because  of  its  being  one  of  the  earliest  books  written 
on  school  gardens.  Two  pamphlets,  however,  in  which 
school  gardens  received  considerable  attention,  were  pub- 
lished in  Sweden  previous  to  this  time:  Eckstrom,  18(55)56; 
Lindgren,  1866") 

N/   Georgil,  Axel:    School  Gardens  in  Sweden.     U.  S. 

1900  Bureau  of  Education.     Report  of  Commissioner, 
1899-1900,  Vol.  2,  pp.  1447-1448 

Hatch,  L.  A.:    The  School  Garden  at  the  Northern 
^^^       Illinois  Normal  School.     School  News,  Vol.   16, 

pp.  466-467 
Hays,  Willet  M.:    Rural  School  Agriculture:    Exer- 
^9°^       cises    in    Agriculture    and    Housekeeping    for 

368 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Rural  Schools.  Originally  issued  by  Univer- 
sity of  Minnesota,  Bulletin  No.  i.  Reprint  by 
McGill,  Warner  Co.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.     [1905?] 

("  Exercises  in  this  Bulletin  .  .  .  have  been  prepared  for 
use  of  teachers  in  the  rural  schools  of  Minnesota.  Recogniz- 
ing the  unavoidable  lack  of  preparation  on  the  part  of  the 
teachers,  each  exercise  includes  the  information  necessary 
to  the  teacher  conducting  it.  .  .  The  effort  is  to  aid  the 
teacher  to  lead  the  rural  school  pupils  to  gather  facts,  grasp 
principles,  and  receive  impressions  which  will  start  them  to 
earnestly  study  to  improve  the  industries  and  life  of  rural 
communities.") 

HiATT,    Edward:     School    Improvement.     Riverside, 
'902       Cal.,    Department    of    Education.      Riverside 

County,  Cal.,  Leaflet,  pp.  1-7 
^Hooker,  Susan  H.:  The  Planting  of  School  Gardens. 
'9oa>      Country  Life  in  America,  Vol.  i,  pp.  219-221 
Hunt,  Thomas:  Rural  School  Agriculture.     Columbus, 
'0°^       O.     University  of  Ohio,  College  of  Agriculture 

and    Domestic    Science,    University    Bulletin, 

Series  7,  No.  22,  pp.  i-io 
Karal,  John:   School  Gardens  in  Russia.     U.  S.  Bu- 
1898       reau   of  Education.     Report   of  Commissioner, 

1897-98,  Vol.  2,  pp.  1 632-1 639 
Latta,   W.   C:    An    Experimental    Farm   for   Young 
1898       People.     Lafayette,    Ind.     Purdue    University, 

Nature  Study  Leaflet  No.  22,  pp.  1-8 
1898   Points  for  Young  Farmers'  Club.      Ibid.  No.  23, 

pp.  1-8 
Le  Bert,  Richard:  School  Gardens  in  Europe.     U.  S. 
'9°°       Dept.  of  State.     Special  Consular  Reports,  Vol. 

20,  Part  2,  pp.  159-221 
Lukens,  H.  T.:  School  Gardens  in  Thuringia.     Educa- 
»8w       iional  Review,  Vol.  17,  pp.  237-241 


369 


AMONG    SCHOOL    GARDENS 

McKay,    A.    H.:     School    Gardens.      Halifax,    Nova 

^900  Scotia:  Annual  Report  of  the  Public  Schools  of 
Nova  Scotia,  p.  27 

1901  Agriculture,  Nature  Study,  etc.  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia:  Manual  of  School  Law,  pp.  66-67,  77~79 

^902  School  Gardens,  etc.  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia:  An- 
nual Report  of  the  Public  Schools  of  Nova 
Scotia,  pp.  3,  57-60,  73,  98,  105-106,  124, 
128 

Medd,  J.  C.:    Rural  Education  in   France.     London. 

T902  British  Board  of  Education,  Special  Reports, 
Vol.  7,  pp.  247-310 

NiESSEN,  Jos.:    Der  Schulgarten  im  Dienste  der  Er- 

'896  ziehung  u.  des  Unterrichtes.  Dusseldorf:  L. 
Schwann,  1896,  pp.  9-176 

("This  is  one  of  the  latest  and  best  books  in  German  on  the 
subject  of  school  gardens.  There  is  probably  no  better 
treatment  of  the  subject  to  be  found  in  any  language.  All 
phases  are  covered  in  a  definite,  practical  way  by  detailed 
working  plans.") 

Parsons,  Fannie  G.  (Mrs.  Henry  M.) :  The  First  Chil- 
^9°3       dren's  Farm.     The  Outlook,  Vol.  74,  pp.  67-72 
Phelps,  Charles  S.:  Agriculture  for  Teachers  in  Pub- 
'903       He   Schools.     Journal    of    Education,    Vol.    58, 

p.  224 
PoE,  Clarence   H.:     Farmer  Children   need   Farmer 
1903       Studies.     IVorld's  Work,  Aug.,  1903,  Vol.  6,  pp. 

3760-3762 
Powell,   F.   M.:    School   Gardens.     Des   Moines,   la. 
1899       Transactions    of    Iowa    Horticultural    Society, 

1899,  pp.  141-149 
^  ^902   School    Gardens.     Glenwood,    la.,     Institute  for 

Feeble-Minded  Children.     Institute  Press,  1902/ 

pp.   L-I3 

370 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

RooPER,  T.  G.:  The  School  Gardens  at  the  Boscombe 
1898  British  School.  London:  British  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, Special  Reports,  Vol.  2,  pp.  224-231. 
Reprinted  by  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education.  Re- 
port of  Commissioner,  1897-98,  Vol.  i,  pp.  224- 
227 
»«°'  School  Gardens  in  Germany.  London:  British 
Board  of  Education,  Special  Reports,  Vol.  9, 
pp.  357-404 

("An  account  of  a  few  of  the  best  German  school  gardens") 

RuLAND,   Karl:    School  Gardens.     (Translated  from 

'890  Kolnische  Zeitung.)  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion. Report  of  Commissioner,  1889-90,  Vol.  i, 
pp.  308-311.  Article  reprinted.  Ibid.,  1897- 
98,  Vol.  I,  pp.  224-227 

SiPE,  Susan   B.:    How  the  Children  of  the  Franklin 

"»°'»  School  in  Washington  Improved  their  School 
Grounds.     Country  Life  in  America,  Vol.  5 ,  p.  4 1 6 

Skinner,  Charles  R.:  Surroundings  of  Rural  Schools. 

'"^^  Journal  of  Proceedings  and  Addresses  of  the 
N.  E.  A.,  1903,  pp.  89-96 

Smith,  C.  B.:  A  German  Common  School  with  a  Gar- 

i8w  Jen  (J  5  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  Circular  42, 
pp.  1-7 

1900  Agricultural  Industries  in  France.  U.  S.  Dept.  of 
Agriculture,  Yearbook,  1900,  pp,  11 5-130 

Smith,    H.    W.:     School    Gardens    and    Agriculture. 

1903  Truro,  Nova  Scotia:  Annual  Calendar,  Pro- 
vincial Normal  School,  1903-04,  pp.  13-14, 
21-22.  33 

Southard,  Lydia:   School  Gardens  as  an  Educational 

'0°'  Factor.  hJew  England  Ma^a{ine,  Vol.  26,  pp. 
675-678 

'7  371 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

ToLMAN,  W.   H.:    Landscape  Gardening  for  Factory 
1899       Homes.     Review  of  Reviews,  Vol.   19,  pp.  441- 

444 

TowNSEND,  G.  A.:   The  National  Cash  Register  Boys' 

1902  Gardens.  American  Park  and  Outdoor  Art 
Association,  Vol.  6,  Part  3,  pp.  27-31 

Troop,  James:    A  Children's  Vegetable  Garden.     La- 

1898  fayette,  Ind.  Purdue  University,  Nature  Study 
Leaflet,  No.  21,  pp.  1-8 

Van  Dorn,  Charles:  Possibilities  of  a  Country  School. 

^903       School  News,  Vol.  16,  pp.  396-398 

1898  Instruction  in  Agriculture  in  Rural  Schools  in 
France.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education,  Report 
of  Commissioner,  1897-98,  Vol.  2,  pp.  1 6 14- 1 621 

1898  School  Gardens  in  Europe.  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Edu- 
cation, Report  of  Commissioner,  1897-98,  Vol.  i, 
pp.  224-230 

^902  School  Gardens  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.  Country 
Life  in  America,  Vol.  i,  April,  1902 

6.  Essays — Stories — Poems  Relating  to  a  Garden 

The  following  titles  are  merely  intended  to  be  suggestive  to  the 
teacher  by  broadening  thought  that  centers  in  the  garden  work 
and  offering  frequent  opportunities  for  new  stories  that  shall  give 
the  children  glimpses  of  the  garden  as  a  part  of  life  and  literature. 
The  writings  of  Thoreau,  Emerson,  John  Burroughs,  John  Muir, 
Schuyler  Mathews,  of  Hamilton  Gibson  and  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke 
and  others  suggest  themselves.  Many  of  the  nature  study  courses 
arranged  by  the  educational  departments  of  the  different  states 
give  scattered  poems  such  as  those  of  Wordsworth,  Shelley,  Long- 
fellow, Bryant,  Whittier,  Tennyson,  etc.  Some  compilations  have 
already  been  mentioned.  The  poems  of  Emily  Dickinson  and  of 
Christina  Rossetti  hold  numerous  dainty,  musical  and  ennobling 
sentiments  touching  on  the  garden.  The  Poetry  of  Nature,  edited 
by  Dr.  Henry  Van  Dyke,  prides  itself  upon  selecting  only  those 
poems  which  are  in  all  respects  true  to  nature,  though  seen  with  the 
eye  of  the  poet. 


372 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Arnim,   M.   a.    B.  von:    Elizabeth   and   her  German 

Garden.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1900 
Deland,    Margaret:     The  Old  Garden    and    Other 

Verses.    Houghton,  Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1889 
Earle,  Alice  Morse:   Sundials  and  Roses  of  Yester- 
day.    The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,   1902 
Old   Time   Gardens.     The   Macmillan   Co.,    New 

York,  1 90 1 
EwiNG,  J.  H.:    Mary's  Meadow,  and  Letters  from  a 

Little  Garden.     Little,  Brown  and  Co.,  Boston, 

1900 
Flint,  M.  B.:    A  Garden  of  Simples.     Charles  Scrib- 

ner's  Sons,  New  York,  1900 
Freeman,  M.   E.  Wilkins:    A  Gatherer  of  Simples. 

(In  A  Humble  Romance.)     Harper  and  Broth- 
ers, New  York,  1887 
A  Lover  of  Flowers.     (In  A  Humble  Romance.) 

Harper  and  Brothers,  New  York,  1887 
Graham,  David:   The  Wind  in  the  Willows.    Charles 

Scribner's  Sons,  New  York,  1908 
KiRKHAM,  Stanton  Davis:   In  the  Open.     Paul  Elder 

and  Co.,  San  Francisco  and  New  York,  1908 
Jewett,   S.   O.:    The  Country  of   the   Pointed    Firs. 

Houghton,   Mifflin   and  Co.,   Boston  and  New 

York,  1897 
Maeterlinck,    Maurice:     Old    Fashioned    Flowers. 

Dodd,  Mead  and  Co.,  New  York,  1905 
The  Double  Garden.     Dodd,  Mead  and  Co.,  New 

York,  1905 
The  Intelligence  of  the  Flowers.     Dodd,  Mead  and 

Co.,  New  York,  1907 
Life  of  the  Bee.     Dodd,  Mead  and  Co.,  New  York, 

1901 

373 


AMONG   SCHOOL   GARDENS 

Paine,  A.  B.:  A  Little  Garden  Calendar.  H.  Altemus 
Co.,  Philadelphia,  1905 

SiEVEKiNG,  Albert  Forbes:  Gardens  Ancient  and 
Modern.  J.  M.  Dent,  London,  1899.  "An  epi- 
tome of  the  literature  of  the  garden-art" 

Thaxter,    Celia:     My    Island    Garden.     Houghton, 
Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1904 
Peggy's   Garden   and   What   Grew  Therein.     (In 
Stories  and   Poems  for  Children.)     Houghton, 
Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1896 

Warner,  C.  D.:  My  Summer  in  a  Garden.  Houghton, 
Mifflin  and  Co.,  Boston,  1898 

Wright,  Mabel  Osgood:  The  Garden  of  a  Commuter's 
Wife.     The  Macmillan  Co.,  New  York,  1901 

Descriptions  of  Gardens  from  Famous  Books 
Addison,  Joseph:  The  Spectator.     June  25,  1712,  and 

Sept.  6,  1 712.     [137]* 
Bacon,  Francis:  Essays:  Of  Gardens.     [73] 
Goldsmith,  Oliver:  The  Citizen  of  the  World.     [189] 
Hawthorne,  Nathaniel:  The  Old  Manse.     [267] 

House  of  the  Seven  Gables. 
Homer:  The  Odyssey.     Book  VII.     [3] 
Irving,  Washington:    The  Sketch  Book.     (Rural  life 

in  England.)     [249] 
Lamb,  Charles:   Essays  of  Elia.     [238] 
More,  Sir  Thomas:    Utopia.     [38] 
Paget,  Violet  (Vernon   Lee):    Old   Italian  Gardens. 

(In   Limbo  and  Other  Essays.)     G.   Richards, 

London,  1897 

*  Figures  in  brackets  refer  to  the  pages  where  these  references  are 
quoted  in  "Gardens  Ancient  and  Modern"  ("An  Epitome  of  the 
Literature  of  the  Garden  Art")  by  Albert  Forbes  Sieveking. 

374 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Pliny  thh  Younger:  Letter  to  Apollinaris  describ- 
ing the  Tusculan  garden.  Translated  by  Wm. 
Melmoth.     [15] 

Thoreau,  Henry  D.:  Walden.     [275] 

Wharton,  Edith:  Italian  Villas  and  their  Gardens. 
The  Century  Co.,  New  York,  1904 


375 


INDEX 


INDEX 


(Figures  in  heavy  type  indicate  that  an  illustration  of  the  subject  appears 
on  that  page) 


A  B  C  of  landscape  gardening,  64 
Agriculture  in  the  school  garden, 

257 
Air  for  plants.  94.  95,  q6,  106 

spaces,  107 
Amherst  Agricultural  G)llege,  22 
Aquatic  garden,  172 
Arbor  day  hymn,  331) 
Art  and  the  school  garden,  256 
Assistants,  children  as.  45 

in  school  gardens,  require- 
ments for,  44,  124 
salaries  of,  124 
Audubon  School,  Dubuque,  la.. 
67 


Bacteria,  96,  108 

Baldwin,  W.  A.,  241 

Baltimore,  Md.,  Woodbery 
School  Garden.  210,  211 

Beans,  96,  1 58 

Bed  marker,  164,  166 

Beets,  I  $8,  170.  247 

Bellevue  Hospital,  school  garden- 
ing at,  62.  63 

Bird-houses,  146,  147 

Blight,  173 

Bloom,  increase  of,  106 

Bone  meal,  90,  106 

Books,  173.  174.  185 


Bordeaux  mixture,  173 
Bowesville      (Canada)      school 

grounds,  17 
Box,  first  aid  to  the  injured,  142 
Boys'  Brigade,  Toronto,  227 
Breeding  cage,  199 
Broadview  gardens,  Toronto,  15, 

Brown,  Sir  James  Crichton,  59 
Buckwheat,  96 
Bulb  planting,  5 
Burdock,  217 

Butterflies,  check-list  of  thirty- 
four,  295 


Cabbage,  71,  170,  247 

butterfly,  71,  91 
Canadian  school  garden.  1 13 

school    gardeners,  require- 
ments for,  281 
Capillarity  of  soil,  98,  99,  169 
Capillary  water.  91 
Carbon,  95,  107 
Carbonic  acid  gas,  95,  107 
Carpenter's  tools,  142 
Carpet  weed,  212 
Carroll  Robbins  School  Garden. 

Trenton,  N  J.,  250 
Carrots,  157,  170 
Cauliflower,  170 


379 


INDEX 


Chart  garden,  65,  171 
Chautauqua  Assembly,  22 
Chemistry  in  the  school  garden, 

256 
Chicago,  111.,  Francis  W.  Parker 

School  Garden,  plan,  161 
Children  as  assistants  in  school 

gardens,  45 
Children's  co-operation,  45 
Cincinnati,   O.,    Douglas   School 

Garden,  235,  236 
City  school  gardens,  46 
Clapp,  Henry  Lincoln,  report  of, 

7 
Classification  of  school  gardens, 

52 
Clay,  85,  87,  Q2,  93,  94,  95,  106, 

170 
Cleveland  board  of  education,  23 
Home  Gardening  Associa- 
tion, 23 
Ohio,  school  gardens  of,  23, 
233,  240 
Clover,  96,  106 
Coal  ashes,  95 

Cobbett  School,  Lynn,  Mass.,  66 
Cold  frames,  152,  155 
Color  intensity,  106 

list,  154 
Compost  heap,  152,  155 
Concord  Normal  School,  Athens, 

W.  Va.,  75 
Connecticut,  school  garden,  1 1 5 
Continuous  bloom,  1 54 
Cooking,  187,  199,  303 
Co-operative  labor,  6 
Corn,  155,  157,  248,  250 

contest,  Nebraska,  74 
contests,  74 
Cornell  Agricultural  College,  23 


Cornell     Home     Nature     Study 
Course,  23 
Rural  School  Leaflets,  23, 
186 
Correlation     of    school    garden 
work,  24,  37,  38,  248,  249 
with  agriculture,  257 
with  art,  256 
with  chemistry,  256 
with  domestic  science,  256 
with  history,  257 
with    industrial     training, 

257 
with  language,  256 
with  manual  training,  257 
with  mathematics,  256 
with  nature  study,  254 
with  physics,  256 

Correlation  chart,  294 

Couch  grass,  208 

Coulter,  J.  M.,  J.  G.,  and  Patter- 
son, A.  J.,  185 

Cover  crop,  90,  96 

Cow  peas,  96 

Crichton-Brown,  Sir  James,  59 

Crimson  clover,  96 

Crippled  children,  29,  60,  268 

Crops,  145 

Cucumbers,  170 

Cultivating  stick,   99,   107,  135, 
.36 

Cultivation,  100,  107,  188,  264 

Curator  of  school  gardens,  23 

Cyanide  jar,  192 


Decorative  effect,  152 
Detention  schools,  gardening  at, 
61 


380 


INDEX 


OcWiil  Cliiilon  I'ark,  N.  Y., 
Schoo  Farm,  28,  29,  48,  61, 
63.  160.  227.  237.  353 

Dibble,  137 

Disintegration,  chemical,  107 

Ditch,  95 

Dock,  broad-leaved,  213,  214 
golden,  207 
marsh,  207 
yellow,  204 

Domestic  science  in  the  school 
garden,  256 

Douglas  School  Garden,  Cincin- 
nati. O.,  235,  236 

Drainage,  q^ 

Dry  farming,  97.  99 

Duncan,  Frances,  173 

Dust  mulch,  99 


Earthworms,  97 
Egg  shell  garden,  68,  246 
Emerson,  Philip,  174 
Enthusiasm     of     the     children. 

265-270 
Equipment,  accessory,  130,    134. 

'35 
fundamental,  130,  131,  132, 

•34 

Exchange  garden,  57 
Exhibits,  273,  274 
Experimental  gardens,  69,  70,  71 

72i  73.  79.  80 
plots  in   Philadelphia  gar- 
dens, 293 
"  Experiments  with  Plants,"  107 
Experiments    with    seeds,    183, 
184 
with  soils.  98,  99 


Fairview  Garden  School,  Yon- 

kers,  N.  Y„  29,  165,  230,  255 
Fall  ploughing,  89 
"  Farmers'  Club,"  128 
Farming,  dry,  97 

intensive,  97 
Felmley,  David,  76,  ^t,  246 
Fencing,  1 18,  119,  128 
Fertility  of  soil,  85,  87,  89.  96 
Fertilizers.  97,  100,  107,  173 

artificial,  86.   90,  99.   too. 
105,  106 

commercial,   86.    90.    100. 
105,  106 

natural,  106 
Field  excursion,  228.  ^65 
First  aid  to  the  injured,  142 
Flower  list,  154,  255,  292 
Flowers,  171,  238 

arrangement  of,  272 

for  high  planting,  155 

for  small  garden,  121.  155 

love  of,  42 
Fork,  137 

Formal  garden,  54.  S5 
Formalin.  173 
Forms  of  registration,  165 
Francis  W.  Parker  School,  plan 

of  garden.  161 
Fruit  crop.  106 

Fundamental  type  of  garden,  5 1 
Fungus,  94 


Garden,  100,  145 
aquatic.  172 
color  sketch.  153 
diary.  162 

eighteen-cent.  111.  iia 
estimates,  1 14-117.  142 


38. 


NDEX 


Garden  estimates,  for  fifty  chil-  | 

dren,  130  | 

expenses  of,  1 13-1 17  : 
for  fifty  children,  130,  131, 

formal,  54,  55  | 

fundamental  type  of,  5 1 

laying  out,   149,   153 

line,    120,    134.    137,    155, 
157,  164,  166  , 

plan,   146,   148,   150,  153,   I 
161,  162,  294 

records,  198,  302 

rule  of,  264 

season,  124,  159 

size  of,  1 13 

tape,  122 
Gardener,  duties  of,  126 
Gardening,    time    required    for, 

178,  179,  247 
Gardens    for    special     purposes,   ' 

57 
George  Putnam  School,  Roxbury, 

Mass.,  66 
Germination,  160,  170,  183,  184 
Goodwin,  Rev.  Dr.  Francis,  26, 

27,  224 
Government    seeds    for   schools, 

32 
Graded  work,  148 
Grade  work  in  the  school  garden, 

243,  246,  250 
Grading,  88 
Grass,  92 
Gravel,  85,  93 

Greenhouse,  26,47,  '28,  222,  230 
Ground,  sour,  94,  95 
Ground  bone,  105,  106 
Ground  water,  91,  169 
Group  garden,  53,  53,  250 

•    38 


Hampton    Leaflets,  186 
Hampton,  Va.,   Whittier   school 

garden,  21,  240 
Hand  plow,  137 
Harrowing,  88,  89,  90 
Hartford  School  of  Horticulture, 

26,  27,  223,  226 
Hawaii,  7 
Hedge,  118 

Hemenway,  Herbert  D.,  27,  173 
History,  and  the  school  garden. 
257 
of  school  gardening,  3-38, 
279-28 1 
Hodge.  Dr.  C.  F.,  62,  185 

Dr.  Richard,  103 
Hoe,  120,  121,  132,  134,  135 
Hoeing,  138 
Holtz.  F.  L.,  185 
Home    Gardening     Association, 
Cleveland,  O.,  23,  58 
seeds  distributed  by,  24,  25 
training  garden,   24,    223, 

224 
gardens,  24,  247,  250,  258 
Horchem,  Benjamin  J.,  229 
Humus,  85,  93,  95,  100,  108,  136 
Hyannis,  Mass.,  school  gardening 

at,  20,  241,  242,  243,  244 
Hydrant,  96,  129 
Hygroscopic  moisture,  91 


Illinois,  school  gardens  in,  75 
Imbecile  children,  59 
Individual  beds,  see  Plots. 
Industrial  training  in  the  school 

garden,  257 
Insect  study,  190,  191, 192,  199 
Insecticides,  304 


INDEX 


Intensive  farming,  97 
Iron,  107 
Irrigation,  96 
Ivy,  poison,  2x5 


Loam.  86.  87 
I    Los  Angeles.  Cal.,  21 
Louisville,  Ky.,  21 


Janitor.  118 
Jekyll,  Gertrude,  174 
"Jimson"  weed.  204,  213 
Johnson.  Vt..  normal  school.  21 

school  garden,  173 
Joliet.  111.,  21 


Kearney.  Nebr..  school  garden, 

74 

Kern,  O.  J..  7s 
Killing  bottle.  192 
Kindergarten  work,  152.  251 
Knapp,  Dr.  Seaman  A.,  74 


Land,  rental  of,  1 13  i 

Landscape  gardening,  A.  B.C.  of, 

64 
Language  in  the  school  garden.   ! 

256 
Lathing,  uses  of.  136 
Latter,  Lucy  R.,  174 
Leafage,  106 
Leaves.  95 
Leguminosje,  c>6 
Lettuce,  158.  170 
IJght.  145 
Lime.  107 

Line  and  stake,  137 
Liquid  manure.  105 
Literature,  school  garden.  73 
Litmus  paper.  95 
Load  of  earth.  sho\elfuls  in,  S3 


Macdonald  Q)llege,  13,  14 

Consolidated    School    and 

gardens.  35 
fund.  13 
Institute,  13.  16 
movement.  14 
school   gardens,   13-20,  85, 

"5 
Sir  William  C.  14 
Magnesium.  107 

Manual  training    in    the    school 
garden,  257 
training,  value  of,  59 
Manure.  86.  89,  90,  95,  99,  103. 

104.  170 
Market  gardeners.  89 
Marking  board,   152.  164,   166 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  So- 
ciety, 7,  26.  273 
Mathematics  in  the  school  gar- 
den. 256 
Maturity,  early.  106 
Measure  in  planting.  168 
Menomonie.  Wis..  21 
Mental  power  increased.  85.  177 
Mental  training    by    motor    ac- 
tivity, 8.  13.  59.  85 
Milkweed,  21 1 

Miller.  Miss  Louise  Klein,  curator 
of  Cleveland   school  gardens. 
23,  58.  173 
Model  plot.  152 

school  garden.  47,  48.  150 
Moisture.  95,  96.  97.  io8 
hygroscopic.  i)i 


5H) 


INDEX 


Mold,  94,  104 
Monarch  butterfly,  iqi 
Mullein,  217 
Muriate  of  potash,  qo 
Muskmelons,  170 


Nasturtiums,  171 
Nathan,  Miss  Stella,    supervisor 
of  Philadelphia  school  gardens, 

29 
National  Cash   Register  garden, 

20,  85,  1 14,  223 
Native  plants  for  transplanting, 

66,  67.  80 
Nature  study,  232,  254 

in  the  school  garden,  254 
material,  134 
Nebraska  corn  contest,  74 
New    England,    school    gardens 
in,  26 
school  house,  -]■] 
New  Jersey,  school  garden,   115 
New  York  City,  School  Garden 

Association  of,  239 
New  York   University,  22,   160, 

169 
Nitrate  of  soda,  90,  105 
Nitrates,  96,  105,  106,  107,  171 
Nitrogen,  96,  107,  170 
Normal,  111.,  State  Normal  Uni- 
versity,   school    garden,    244, 
245,  246,  247 
Novelties,  153 


Ontario  Agricultural  and  Ex- 
perimental Union,  Schools* 
Division,  285 

Organic  matter,  decaying,  95 

Osmosis,  92 

Osterhout,  W.  J.  V.,  107,  185 

Oxygen,  106 


Observation  work,  152,  187 
Ohio,  school  garden,  1 16 
schools,  76 


Paint,  146 
Parents'  day,  199 
Park  Life,  226,  227,  228,  229 
Parsley  worm,  191 
Parsons,  Henry  G.,  135,  160,  169. 
See  Bibliography. 
Mrs.  Henry,  4,  28,  227 
Paths,    95,   136,    146,    149,    180, 

18! 
Peas,  96,  1 06,  158 
Pennsylvania,      University     of, 

school  garden,  22 
Penny-packet  seeds,  112,  137 
Pergola,  129 

Philadelphia,     gardens,     experi- 
mental plots  in.  293 
mill  girls,  266,  267 
school    gardens,  233.    239, 
240 
Phosphate,  105,  106 
Phosphoric  acid,  170 
Physics  in  the  school  garden,  256 
Pigweed,  212 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  school  gardens, 
127,  231,  232,  233,  239 
Playground       Association, 
231,  232,  233,  239 
Plan  of   garden,    146,   148,  150, 
153,  161,  162,  294 
:    Plantain,  206 
I    Plant  elements,  106 

384 


NDHX 


Plant  food.  91.  92,  1)5.  106,  107 
Planting,  167 

day,  preliminaries  of,   162, 
.63 

depth  of.  162,  i6q,  294 

first  lesson  in,  167 

measure  in,  168 

operations,  2C)6 

plan.  i6t),  i8f),  294 

rule  for,  170 

seeds  for,  162 
Plants,  for  all  places,  287-292 

for  all  soils,  287-292 

sickly.  106 
Plot,  model,  152 

Plots,  size  of,  6,  63,  1 14,  11 5,  1 16, 
117,   120,   131.   139,   146,   147, 
225.  252 
Plotting  the  garden,  149 
Plowing,  88,  8t),  c)o,  113 
Poison  ivy,  215 
Porosity  of  soil,  98,  (>t) 
Porto  Rico,  7 
Potash,  105,  106 
Potatoes,  173,  286 
Potting,  299-301 
Pricking  out  seedlings,  298 
Productivity  of  soils,  86 
Providence,  R.  1.,  school  garden 

plan,  79,  294 
Pruning,  ten  principles  of,  338 
Purposes  of  school  gardens.  222 
Purslane,  207 


Quicklime.  93 


Radish,  158 
Ragweed,  209.  211 


Rain,  108 

Rake,    120,    121,    132,   134,    135, 

137,  170,  171 
Recess  period,  179 
Records,  garden.  198,  302 
Registration,  forms  of.  165 
Requirements      for      Canadian 

school  gardeners,  281 
Robertson,  James  W.,  13 
Rock  garden,  67 
Roller,  improvised,  181 
Rood,  Stanley  H..  27 
Root  cage,  136.  183 

crops,  106 

fibres.  91,  92,  96 

nodules,  96 
Rosedale  Garden,  Cleveland,  O., 

58.  282 
Rural  school  gardens,  46,  63  et 
seq. 

school  house,  78 
Kussell  Sage  Foundation,  230 
Rye,  winter,  90 


St.  Louis,  Mo.,  21 
Salary,  question  of,  118. 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  21 
Sand,  85,  87,  92.  93,  94.  95 

pea,  96 
School  farm,  first  children's,  4 
School  garden,  aims,  222 

and  boards  of  education,  34 
as  a  farm,  241 
as  a  social  center.  36 
assistants  in,  44 
definitions  of,  3 
description  of,  49-51 
economic  value  of.  9 
exhibits.  273.  274 


385 


NDEX 


School  garden,  farm,  51,  64 
fundamental  type,  47,  5 1 
instruction,  221,  247 
in  the  school,  233-251 
movement,  scope  of,  33 
size  of,  3,  63 
staff,  personnel,  193-198 
teaching,  Canadian  require- 
ments for,  18 
threefold  teaching  in,  4 
value  of,  35,  36,  37 
virtues  taught  by,  4 
work,  quality  of,  275 
See  also  School  Gardens. 

School    Garden    Association    of 
New  York,  239 

School  gardening  at  Bellevue  Hos- 
pital, 62,  63 
at  detention  schools,  61 
for  cripples,  60,  61 
for  deaf  mutes,  61 
for  defectives,  59 
for  little  children,  243,  246, 

251,  252 
for    tuberculous    children, 
62.63 

School  gardens,  and  civic  im- 
provement, 233 
classification  of,  52 
ethical  value  of,  258 
experimental  work  of,  69, 

70,  ?•'  72,73 
group  work,  250 
history  of,  6-38 
in  Austria,  9 
in  Belgium,  9 
in  Canada,  13-20 
in  England,  11,12 
in  France,-  10 
in  Germany,  9 


School    gardens    in    New    York 

City,  237,  238 
in  Russia,  10 
in  Sweden,  9 
in  Switzerland,  12 
in    vacation    schools,    222, 

223 
maintenance  of,  43 
of  Philadelphia,  29 
of  the  District  of  Columbia, 

30 

organization  of,  43,  46 

purposes  of,  46 

sociological,  222,  230,  231 

truck  gardening  in,  222,  223 
School  ground  decoration,  4,  24. 
54,    55,  64,  65,  69,   80, 
266 

native  plants  for,  66,  67 
School  yard,  clean,  68 
Schwab,  Erasmus,  174 
Season  of  garden  work,  1 24 
Seed,  competition,  283 

measures,  137 

testing,  160 
Seeds,  187 

choice  of,  1 56 

collection  of,  187 

cost  of,  292 

germination  of,  160 

government,  1 1 1 

in  flats,  296 

list  of,  292 

penny  packet,  112,  137 

plump,  106 

selection  of,  159,  160 
Sheep  manure,  90,  105 
Shelter,  i  13,  129 
Shovels,  122 
Silt,  85.  93 


386 


INDEX 


Silver  Lake.  N.  M..  21 
Sipe,  Miss  Susan  B.,  supervisor 
of  school  gardens,  Washington, 
D.  C,  M,  30 
Size  of  garden,  113 

of  plots,  63,  114,  1 15,  116, 
117,  120,   131,  139,  146, 
147.  225,  252 
Soil,  capillarity  of,  98,  qq 
definition  of,  85 
depth  of,  88,  89 
fertility,  85,  87,  89,  96,  171 
finely  divided,  8q,  q6,  108 
for  children's   garden,  87, 

89 

grains,  94 

improvement,  106 

mellow,  96 

particles,  92 

poor,  96 

porosity  of,  98,  99 

sour.  95 

test  of.  91,  146 
Soils,  according  to  formation,  86 

according  to  productivity, 
86 

according  to  texture,  85 

exhausted,  97 

heavy,  88 

light,  88 
Sorrel,  207 
South    Dakota,    school    garden. 

««5 
Spades,  122,  132,  134,  140 
Spading,  89,  qo,  139,  140,  141 

fork,  122 
Spreading  board  for  insects,  191 
Squashes,  170 

Standard  vegetables,  271.  272 
State  agricultural  colleges.  22 
28 


Stockton,   Cal.,    school   garden. 

"5 
Stories  of  plants,  188 
Storrs  Agricultural  College,  22 
Street  sweepings,  99.  102.  103 
Subsoil.  88 
Sulphur.  107 
Sunlight.  108,  145 
Suj)erphosphate,  90 
Supervisor,  work  of,  123 
Supervisors,  salaries  of,  124 
Supply  plot,  152 
Swiss  chard,  156 


Tap  roots,  96 

Teachers  of  school  gardening,  re- 
quirements for,  83,  84,  85 
Teaching  of  school  garden,  4 
Technical    High    School,   Cleve- 
land. O..  58 
Tent,  129 
Test  of  soil,  91 

chemical,  91 

mechanical     or    physical 
92-94 

simple,  91 
Texas,  school  garden,  1 1 5 
Thaxter,  Celia,  173 
Tillage,  107.  178,  188 
Toledo,  O.,  school  garden,  114 
Tomatoes,  170 
Tomato  worm,  191 
Toolhouse,  120,  1^,  181 
Tools,  120,  129.   132,  133,  134, 
138 

cost  of,  132,  134 
Top(^raphical  garden.  65 
Top-soil.  88.  8q 


387 


INDEX 


Toronto,  Broadview  gardens,  15, 

227 
Training  garden,  148 

Cleveland,  O.,  58 
Transplanting,  137,  152,  192,301 
Tree,  how  to  plant,  336 
Trees,  145 
Trenching,  95,  106 
Trenton,  N.  J.,  Carroll  Robbins 

School  Garden,  250 
Trial  gardens,  69,  70,  71,  72,  73, 

79.80 
Truck  farming,  24,  89,  97 
Tuberculosis,    school    gardening 

for,  62,  63 
Turnips,  170 


U.  S.  Bulletins,  32 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry, 

30'3'.74 
Department  of  Agriculture, 

30.73 
Office  of   Experiment  Sta- 
tions, 31 


Value  of  small  garden  plots,  253 
Vegetable  soil,  definition  of,  85 
Vegetables,  eight  quickly  matur- 
ing, 159,  160 
for  small  garden,  112,  155, 

.56 
list  of,  255,  292 


Waiting  list,  151 
Washington,      D.     C.     normal 
school,  21,  30 

D.  C,  school  gardens,  233, 
240 
Water,  91,  92,  93,  94,  96,   105, 
107 

films,  96 

quantity  of,  168 

supply,  169 
Watering,  168 

can,  122,  132,  134 
Watermelons,  171 
Watkinson  Farm  School,  27 
Watterson  School,  Cleveland,  O., 

55.  56,  58 
Weed,  C.  M.,  174 
Weed  garden,  152,  171 
Weeder,  120,  122,  132,  134,  137 
Weeding  fork,  122 
Weeds,  107,  136,  203 

common  names  of ,  216-218 

eradication  of,  214 

food  value  of,  205 
Wheat,  92 

Wheelbarrow,  122,  136,  141 
White  bean,  96 

Wild  flowers.    See  Native  plants. 
Willimantic,       Conn.,       normal 

school,  21 
Wood  ashes,  105 


YoNKERS,  N.  Y„  Fairview  Gar- 
den School,  29,  165,  230,  233. 
255 


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